The Story of Aika
by XFangHeartX
Summary: Summary inside. Read and review, and no flames or hate, please. Rated t due to later chapters.
1. The Power of Music

One Piece: The Story of Aika

* * *

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard, Aika, Kumi, Jupiter, and Vice-Admiral Auguste © Me

* * *

Summary- After their little adventure on Punk Hazard, the Straw Hats, along with their new ally, Trafalgar Law, head to their next destination: Dressrosa. However, Aika and Kumi, the girl and puppy that the crew had taken in on Luffy's orders, have come along for the ride. As they make a few stops here and there, Aika forges bonds with each of the Straw Hats, but a shocking revelation will change hers and Luffy's life…will it be for better or worse?

* * *

**Ch. 1- The Power of Music**

* * *

When we last left the Straw Hat Pirates, they had recently formed an alliance with one of the Seven Warlords and the Captain of the Heart Pirates: "Surgeon of Death" Trafalgar Law and his dog, Jupiter, whilst at the half-burning, half-freezing island of Punk Hazard. Law planned to take down one of the Four Emperors, Kaido, and as the first phase of the plan, he and Luffy kidnapped the mad scientist, Caesar Clown, which is successful. They also successfully a group of captured children that Caesar had abducted for his experiments and are later taken back home by Marine Captain Tashigi of Marine Base G-5. However, Aika, a little girl who ate an Artificial Devil Fruit called SMILE whom Luffy had grown quite fond of, and her puppy, Kumi, become the Straw Hats newest recruits.

Law has made a deal with Donquixote Doflamingo, who demands that he have Caesar: either Doflamingo quits the Seven Warlords…or he will never get Caesar back, meaning that Doflamingo will have to be forced to deal with an angry Kaido if he didn't comply with Law's demands.

Doflamingo was than pleased by this, and rushed to Punk Hazard after Law called him. Unable to find Law and the Straw Hats, he intended to kill Vice-Admiral Smoker and his men instead in order to silence them about his underground connections. Luckily though, an old friend came to Smoker's rescue: Ex-Marine Admiral Aokiji, better known by his real name, Kuzan.

Meanwhile, after the Straw Hats take a rest from Punk Hazard…Law unveils a shocking revelation: Aika is actually Luffy's younger sister, which shocks the Straw Hat crew. The only ones who do not know are Luffy and Aika, who are fast asleep in bed.

"Aika is Luffy's sister?!" Nami asked. "A-are you sure?!"

"I checked at least 3 times," Law said. "The blood tests came out positive. They even have the same blood-type: F."

"How shocking…!" Kin'emon whispered.

"…Come to think of it…she does laugh like him," Nami muttered.

"And if you think about it, Luffy looks like a little bit like her if he were a girl," Zoro added.

"But how can she be his sister?" Sanji asked. "I mean…didn't Luffy's mother die, 13 years ago?"

"…It's possible that his father may've had a second spouse after her death," Robin said. "Meaning that if what Law says is true, Aika is actually Luffy's half-sister."

"That seems to be the consensus," Law said. "I know this comes off as a big shock to you people, but I just thought I'd tell you so I wouldn't be distracted from the plan."

A pause…but then, Usopp started laughing.

"I don't believe it!" he said. "Luffy's got a little sister, of all things! Don't that beat all? Wait until he hears this! He's gonna flip! C'mon, Chopper! Let's go wake him up and tell him the good news!"

"Yeah!" Chopper agreed. "Aika should hear about it, too!"

With that, the two ran off, preparing to head to Luffy and Nami's room, when suddenly…

"HOLD IT!" Nami shouted, causing Usopp to skid to a stop, thus causing Chopper to accidentally bump into him.

"What's wrong, Nami?" Usopp asked.

"Yeah, what's the matter?" Chopper asked.

"…We can't tell Luffy," Nami said, "or Aika!"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEHHH?!" Usopp and Chopper cried.

"What do you mean, 'We can't tell Luffy'?!" Franky asked.

"That's just what I mean!" Nami said. "We can't!"

"But Nami, why not?!" Usopp asked.

"Nami, with all due respect," Sanji said, "don't you think that these two deserve to know they're related?"

"First of all…Aika just joined us," Nami said. "If we tell her that Luffy's her brother, it might shock her too much! What if she thinks we're lying to her and decides to hate us?!"

"Well, what about Luffy?" Franky asked. "Can't we tell him, at least?! Especially after what happened to-"

"THAT'S EXACTLY WHY WE CAN'T TELL LUFFY!" Nami shouted in a voice so loud, it could wake the dead.

"Scary…!" Usopp and Chopper whimpered, hiding behind Brook and Blizzard.

"Okay, Nami," Zoro said. "You are making no sense, whatsoever."

"I must say, I'm quite confused, as well," Brook added, crossing his arms and tilting his head. "You're saying we shouldn't tell Mister Luffy that Young Miss Aika is his sister…because of Mister Ace's death, two years ago?"

"Exactly," Nami said. "Guys…think about it. I know Luffy may look and act like his usual goofball self…but I'm pretty sure Ace's death changed him…and not in a good way. What if he's afraid to love someone like that, again, and shut his heart away? That's why we can't tell him!"

"Nami…you know this won't work," Robin said. "Luffy's going to find out eventually."

"We understand you're just trying to protect Luffy," Zoro said, "but…you can't treating him like he's a little kid, forever."

'_He's right, you know,'_ Blizzard thought, nodding his head.

"Robin, I'm not stupid," Nami said. "I know Luffy will find out…but if I'm afraid of what will happen if we tell him and something _did_ happen to Aika. His heart can't take that kind of pain, again! First his mother…then Ace…it's too much on him!"

"So…what do we do?" Usopp asked.

"…I don't know…yet," Nami replied. "Maybe…maybe we will tell Luffy…but only if it seems like he can take it."

With that, Nami stood up.

"Thank you, Traffy," Nami said. "I'm…going back to bed now. Goodnight."

Law nodded his head before Nami headed back to hers and Luffy's room and climbed back into bed. As soon as she did though, Luffy awoke with a yawn.

"Hey," he said, sleepily. "Where'd you go?"

"Nowhere," Nami answered, smiling. "Just to the bathroom, that's all."

"Oh…okay," Luffy yawned before he lied back down. As he did, he looked at Aika, who is still sleeping soundly in the form of a Honshu Wolf pup, and smiled warmly as he gently stroked her fur before he fell right back to sleep.

Nami smiled at them…but then, her smile faded and is replaced with an expression of concern and uncertainty as she looked up at the ceiling.

Now…she was actually wishing that Law did not tell her and the others about Aika's relation. All she did was sigh…and cover her eyes with her hands…but she felt as if she would not be able to sleep well for the rest of the night.

'_Dammit,'_ she cursed, mentally.

XXX

The next morning, everyone is up and about, but it looked like they did not have much sleep last night. The morning newspaper had already come, and Law seemed to be a bit disappointed about the front page article.

"So…he hasn't complied yet, eh?" Law asked…but then he smirked. "No matter. It's only the first day."

"Ugh…I barely slept, last night!" complained Usopp, who is wearing a yellow open shirt, a hat that looked like a horned beetle with the word "KABUTO" on it, a white-and-pine-green wristband around his right wrist, and a pair of black pants. "I was so shocked about what Law said about Aika, I couldn't sleep a wink!"

"Yeah, me too," Chopper agreed, wearing his signature hat and blue hat, but also a green shirt with a pink cherry blossom design, and a pair of mahogany pants. "I actually forgot all about Doflamingo coming to attack us!"

"DAAAH! THAT'S RIGHT!" Usopp screamed. "Why hasn't Doflamingo tried to attack us, yet?!"

"Oh, will you guys relax?!" questioned Zoro, who is wearing a green jacket with the sleeves ripped off at the shoulders, leaving gray fur trim, his black pants, and his haramaki sash. "If he was gonna attack us, he would've done it, by now, you idiots!"

"Now, Zoro," said Robin, who is wearing a purple top with the kanji for "flower" on the left side and a lavender open skirt that reached down to her ankles. "Don't be so harsh. We all had a bit of a rough night."

"She's SUPER right about that, bro!" agreed Franky, who is wearing a light blue shirt, a red Speedo, and had his hair styled in dreadlocks. "The news about Aika was a real shock, you know! Plus, I was up all night, trying to keep a look out for Doflamingo, myself!"

"By the way," Zoro began, "where's Luffy?"

"In the kitchen, eating breakfast," answered Nami, who is wearing a pair of low-rise jeans and an orange bikini top with light yellow trim.

"Still?" Usopp asked. "Ah…no surprise."

Kin'emon and Momonosuke are currently sitting on the deck, eyes closed in meditation, while Caesar, who really had nothing better to do since he was chained up, decided to just sit by and count the clouds as they rolled by.

"76…77…78…" he counted.

XXX

"Whew~! I'm stuffed!"

Luffy, who is wearing a red jacket with the sleeves rolled up and white trim around the sleeves and zipper, patted his bulging gut and let out a satisfied belch as he had finished his breakfast. Sanji, who is wearing a blue casual shirt and black pants, just sighed in annoyance.

Blizzard, who is wearing a white-and-gray scarf, is lying by the table, feeling rather tired, as well.

"Glad you're satisfied," Sanji muttered before he picked up another plate, which had some croissants drizzled in a strawberry syrup with a side of scrambled eggs and a glass of tangerine juice. "Here."

"Huh?" Luffy asked. "What's this? A snack?"

"It's not for you, dumb-ass!" Sanji said. "It's for Aika! She's still asleep, right? This is her breakfast. Go wake her and give it to her, and don't you eat a crumb!"

"Oh!" Luffy said as he slimmed down to his regular figure and took the plate. "Got it!"

With that, he went to his and Nami's room, where Aika, how is now in her human form, and Kumi are still asleep.

"Oh, Aika~!" Luffy called as he entered. "Wake-y, wake-y, eggs and bake-y~! Shishishishi! I'm just kidding! It's not eggs and bacon. It's eggs and some weird crescent things."

Aika yawned as she sat up in bed, as did Kumi.

"Good morning," Aika said, sleepily.

"Here you go!" Luffy said, giving Aika her breakfast. "Courtesy of Sanji!"

Aika smiled before she began to eat. She gave Kumi one of her croissants, as well. Luffy watched her before he took a croissant for himself.

"…Hey, Luffy," Aika said.

"Hmm?" Luffy hummed.

"…Is it okay?"

"Huh?"

"Is it okay for me to be here? I mean…I don't wanna feel like I'm holding you guys back or anything."

"Holding us back?" Luffy asked. "What makes you say that?"

"Well…Mister Traffy was talking about all this plan stuff, and…well…" Aika muttered.

"Oh, the whole alliance thing!" Luffy said as he took a bite out of a croissant. "Yeah, that's nothing you need to worry about. That's really grownup stuff and whatnot."

"Oh," Aika said.

"Yeah," Luffy said as he swallowed.

A pause…but then, Aika looked up upon hearing the soothing tunes of a violin.

"What's that?" Aika asked.

"Huh?" Luffy muttered. "Oh! That's probably Brook!"

"Brook?" Aika repeated.

"The skeleton guy," Luffy replied. "He's practicing his violin like he always does after breakfast."

"He does?" Aika asked.

"Yep," Luffy said. "He is our crew's musician, after all."

A pause…but then, Aika got out of bed and went upstairs.

"Aika?" Luffy asked before he and Kumi followed her.

The 6-year-old raven-haired girl exited from Zoro and Robin's room, which was formerly known as the Women's Quarters, before she walked across the grassy deck, climbed the stairs to the aft of the ship…and found Brook, who is wearing a black-and-white vertically-striped suit and a large beige sunhat, bowing the strings of his violin to the tune of "Binks' Brew".

"…Wow…!" Aika whispered, her eyes wide with wonder and awe.

"I know," Luffy said, smiling. "He's good."

Just then, Brook stopped playing and turned to see Luffy, Aika, and Kumi.

"Oh! Mister Luffy!" the skeleton said. "And Young Miss Aika and Kumi! Good morning!"

"Good morning," Aika said. "That's a nice song you were playing."

"Yohohohohoho!" Brook chortled before he took a gracious bow. "Why thank you, my dear! This song was sung by pirates of old, you see! An old favorite of mine!"

"Shishishishi!" Luffy laughed. "Yeah! We sing it when we're in a really good mood, like at a party or something!"

"Really?" Aika asked.

"I can tell by the look in your eyes," Brook began, "that you seem to have good taste in music, too, Young Miss Aika."

"Y-yeah, actually," Aika answered. "My Mommy used to be singer."

"Whoa! A singer?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah…she was really where I grew up," Aika answered. "She made lots of money and sang at bars and stuff."

Then, Aika's smile faded.

"Sorry," she said. "It's just…"

"It's okay," Luffy said. "You don't have to talk about it if you feel like you're not ready."

"_Yeah, Aika…don't push yourself,"_ Kumi answered.

"Thanks," Aika said.

"Yohohoho!" Brook chortled before he held his violin out to Aika. "Would you like to draw it?"

"Me?" Aika asked. "Can I, really?"

"Of course!" Brook answered.

Hesitantly, Aika took the string instruments into her hands, placed her head on the chin rest, and then placed the bow on the strings. At first, the notes came out a bit sour…but then, as Aika closed her eyes and began to slide the bow back and forth…a beautiful melody soon flowed throughout the atmosphere of the ship. Everyone stopped whatever business they were doing to listen to the sweet, soothing sound.

"Oh, my god…!" Usopp whispered.

"That's beautiful…!" Nami added.

"Such a pleasant melody!" Kin'emon chimed in.

"How magnificent!" agreed Momonosuke.

Law and Jupiter seemed rather interested by the music, as well.

"_You gotta admit, that actually does sound pretty nice,"_ Jupiter said.

"Yeah…I guess so," Law agreed.

"Hmph…!" Caesar scoffed. "My dead grandmother plays better than this."

**BAM!** Sanji kicked the captured scientist in the face, again.

"Shut up!" the cook shouted. "You're ruining everyone's good mood, you jackass!"

"Shu-ho…!" Caesar coughed.

Soon, Aika stopped playing and looked at Brook, who laughed and clapped his bony hands, and Luffy was doing the same.

"Wow, Aika!" Luffy said. "You can play!"

"Absolutely splendid, my dear!" Brook exclaimed.

"Thanks," Aika said. "My mommy taught me how to play when I was 4."

"A musical prodigy," Brook mused. "Imagine that! Yohohoho!"

"And I can sing, too," Aika added.

"You can sing?!" Luffy asked. "Ooh! Sing a song for us, now!"

Aika blushed a little bit.

"Well…I don't know," she said, sheepishly.

"We understand, Young Miss Aika," Brook said. "Every musician gets rather nervous! Even one such as myself!"

"You get nervous?" Luffy asked, surprised.

"Indeed," Brook answered. "Why, I can't recall how many times I got the jitters before going out on stage during my world tour!"

"My Mommy used to get nervous, too," Aika said. "She told me whenever she got nervous…she imagined her best friend out in the audience."

"Yohohoho!" Brook chortled. "And that's just what I did, my dear."

"…Hey, Mister Brook?" Aika asked.

"Yes?" Brook asked.

"…Is there a piano around here?" Aika asked.

"Why, yes!" Brook answered. "Why?"

"Well…I think I wanna sing now," Aika said, "but…will you play the song with me?"

"Young Miss Aika…I would be delighted to," Brook said.

Aika smiled, as did Luffy and Kumi.

"Hey! Franky!" Luffy called. "Can you bring Brook's piano out?!"

"Sure!" Franky answered.

XXX

Later on, Brook is sitting in front of his piano with Aika sitting next to him. The rest of the Straw Hat crew, Law, Jupiter, Kin'emon, and Momonosuke sat around them.

"If you feel too nervous, we can always try again, later," Brook said.

"It's okay," Aika said before she looked at the audience before her. Among them was Kumi, who smiled at her and wagged her tail, causing the wolf-girl to smile back.

"This is a song…my Mommy used to sing to me," Aika said before she cleared her throat and began to sing.

(A/N: the song is "Mother's Song" from Wolf Children.)

"_**I had to see you and so I could to meet you,**_

_**I always prayed while rubbing my stomach~**_

_**Ooh~! Ooh~!**_

_**What kind of face will you have~?**_

_**Ooh~! Ooh~!**_

_**What kind of voice will you have~?"**_

Soon, Brook started to play the piano in time with her voice.

"_**My reflection is in your big pupils,**_

_**And a tear drop splits on your cheek~**_

_**Rice~! Rice~!**_

_**Come, the rice is ready~!**_

_**Ta-ta-ta~! Ta-ta-ta~!**_

_**Come, let's go for a walk~!"**_

As Aika sang and Brook played, Franky was already in tears, and Nami looked like she wasn't too far off, too.

"_**I hold you in my lap while you cry your eyes out,**_

_**As you tell me what's wrong~!**_

_**It's all right, I'm not going anywhere,**_

_**No matter what happens, I'll always be with you~!**_

_**I like your smiling face,**_

_**It gives me strength whenever I'm feeling down~!**_

_**Lu-lu-lu~! Lu-lu-lu~!**_

_**Come, let's sing a song~!**_

_**Come, let us howl together~!"**_

Luffy sniffled as he screwed his eyes shut to keep his tears from falling while Nami, who is already in tears, held his shoulder and smiled. Robin sniffled as well as Zoro held her, her tears streaking down her face.

"_**Ki-la-la~! Ki-la-la~!**_

_**Grow up to be carefree~!**_

_**Aika runs and counts the clouds,**_

_**I play with Aika and the wind starts blowing~**_

_**The flowers are covered, and the red pipes chime,**_

_**On four legs, on two legs~**_

_**A new morning, a new wind~**_

_**The preparations are done for you~**_

_**A new morning, a new light~**_

_**The whole world is for you~**_

_**A new morning, a new rainbow~!**_

_**The world is full of wonders~!"**_

Sanji smiled and sniffled as he wiped a tear away from his eye.

"Saw that, cook," Zoro said.

"No, you see, I accidentally got some pepper in my eye in the kitchen and…" Sanji began…but then he sighed. "Ah, screw it. I'm not made of stone."

Momonosuke sounded like he was trying to choke back sobs, but then, Kin'emon smiled and put a hand on his son's shoulder before smiling down at him, which caused the young boy of Wano to smile back and hug his father.

"_**Which of the two roads will you choose~?**_

_**You gaze intently into the far off distance~"**_

Brook's playing soon slowed down into a sad, slow melody, and soon Aika's voice did the same.

"_**I can do it for you,**_

_**Is there already nothing left~?**_

_**Someday**_

_**When you start your journey,**_

_**I'll be sure to smile**_

_**And see you off~!**_

_**Ooh~! Ooh~!**_

_**But I will be a little lonely~**_

_**Whoa~! Whoa~!**_

_**Please…live a good life~"**_

Then…the song was over. Brook and Aika looked to their audience…and saw that most of the members, except Law and Zoro, are in tears.

"Everyone?" Brook asked.

"W-what's wrong?" Aika asked. "You…you didn't like it?"

"No, Aika," Usopp answered, wiping his eyes. "We…we LOVED it!"

"BWAAAAAH~! THAT WAS BEAUTIFUL~!" Franky sobbed. "I'm not crying, you jerks!"

"You sang that song so wonderfully," Robin praised. "I…I almost felt like it my own Mother was singing it to me!"

"That's what I felt, too…!" Luffy sniffled.

"_Ah, god…the tears just won't stop!"_ Blizzard cried as he wiped his eyes.

Aika smiled…but then she sniffled and found herself in tears, as well.

"Aika?" Nami asked. "Are you okay?!"

"I'm sorry," Aika said. "It's just…nowadays, I can't help but cry whenever I sing that song."

"Yohohoho!" Brook chortled as he gently petted Aika on the head. "It's all right, my dear. Whenever we hear a song we cherish, one can't help but be in tears. That's the power of music, Young Miss Aika."

Aika smiled at this.

"Thanks, Brook," she said before she turned to the others. "And thank you all for listening."

"You're welcome," Robin said.

"Maybe you can sing for us again, sometime!" Momonosuke suggested.

"Shishishi!" Aika laughed. "Yeah…maybe I will."

Kumi then went up and licked Aika's face, causing her to laugh.

"Kumi, that tickles!" she exclaimed.

Everyone smiled and laughed a little at the two friends…but then, Luffy spotted something out in the distance in the corner of his eye.

"What the…?" he whispered before he took a closer look. Once he did…he gasped.

"Luffy?" Nami asked. "What's the matter?"

"…Aika, go hide," Luffy said.

"What?" Aika asked, confused. "W-why?"

"Go hide, now!" Luffy shouted, and Aika gasped before she and Kumi ran off.

"_Aika! Kumi! Follow me!"_ Blizzard called, and the two youngsters followed him into the Aquarium Bar. Once there, Blizzard opened the pantry, where Aika, who transformed into her wolf form by now, and Kumi quickly went inside.

"_Stay in here and don't come out,"_ Blizzard said.

"Okay," Aika said before Blizzard closed the door.

Back outside, Law is seen dragging Caesar down below deck.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Caesar questioned. "Put me down!"

"Ah, shut up!" Law barked before he stuffed Caesar in a trunk. "If the Marines see you, now, the plan is in ruins!"

"Why you no-good-" Caesar began, but Law slammed the trunk shut before he could begin ranting and went back upstairs.

Kin'emon and Momonosuke hid in the Men's Quarters.

The reason they scurried to find a hiding place…was because a Marine battleship was headed their way.

"Great," Usopp muttered. "Of course the Marines would show up. Why am I not surprised?!"

"Just act natural," Nami said. "Maybe they'll leave us alone."

"I wouldn't bet on it," Zoro warned.

Soon, the battleship came to a stop beside the _Sunny_, and not long after…a tall, muscular man, at least about 6'10" tall appeared. He wore a mahogany suit with a dark green ascot, and wore a Marine coat with the kanji for "justice" on the back. He has long, bronze-yellow hair that is pulled back in a ponytail, as well as a mustache and beard of the same color. His turquoise eyes looked down at the Straw Hat crew, and a smile played upon his lips.

"Ah, if it isn't the infamous Straw Hat Pirates?" the man inquired. "A pleasure to meet you all, at last."

"Who the hell are you?" Luffy asked.

"Ah, yes, of course," the man answered. "Permit me to introduce myself: I am Vice-Admiral Auguste of the Marines. Please, rest assured…I'm not here to arrest any of you. My men and I are just here to do a thorough search of your ship, if you don't mind."

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

Review, please!


	2. The Way of the Wolf

**Ch. 2- The Way of the Wolf**

* * *

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard, Aika, Kumi, Jupiter, and Auguste © Me

* * *

The Straw Hats stared at Vice-Admiral Auguste, who looked at them with a somewhat charming yet suspicious smile.

"Search the ship, you say?" Law asked. "And why would we let you do something like that, good sir?"

"Well, if you must know," Auguste replied, "we're simply keeping the seas safe! It is our job as Marines after all!"

"Well, sorry," Nami said, "but we don't care if it is your job. Now please leave."

Auguste only chuckled.

"Forgive me, Miss Cat Burglar," he began, "but…I don't believe I was asking permission. Men! Take the dogs and search the ship!"

"Yes, sir!" shouted his soldiers.

Soon, at least 6 men with a pack of 6 dogs; a Mastiff, a Shepherd, a Bloodhound, a Doberman Pinscher, a Black-and-White Husky, and a Chinook, all wearing Marine collars, boarded the ship, and the dogs started to sniff around.

"Forgive me," Auguste said. "I just want to check and make sure you're not hiding anything."

'_Crap,'_ Law thought. _'I wasn't expecting them to have dogs. If they find Caesar…"_

"While my men are searching," Auguste said as he got on board the _Sunny_, himself, "why don't we have us a little chat?"

He then approached Nami and Robin with a smirk.

"So, ladies," he said. "Ever thought about leaving this garbage barge for a real man?"

"Hey! Back off!" Zoro barked.

"Yeah! Those are OUR girls!" Luffy shouted.

"And what do you mean by 'garbage barge'?!" Franky repeated. "You better not be talking my ship, damn you!"

"Temper, temper," Auguste smirked. "Just a little joke, Cyborg Franky."

"Well, I ain't laughing," Franky muttered.

"Who is?" Sanji asked, angry that the Vice-Admiral's attempt to flirt with Nami and Robin, who both sneered at the man.

XXX

Meanwhile, inside the Aquarium Bar, one dog had gone in there and is sniffing around the room. Aika and Kumi looked through the crack in the pantry door, but they gasped silently before she quickly closed the door as the Doberman passed by…only to stop upon catching a small, but noticeable whiff of her scent.

"What is it, boy?" asked the Marine handling him before he looked at the pantry.

'_Don't look in here, don't look in here, don't look in here…!'_ Aika thought.

The Doberman growled at the pantry, much to his handler's confusion. Just when the soldier was about to open it…**CHOMP!** A pair of white jaws appeared out of nowhere and pulled him away, causing him and the Doberman to let out a yelp of surprise before they are both heard screaming and yowling in pain.

"_What's going on out there?"_ Kumi whispered.

"I dunno," Aika answered, softly before she took a peek outside…and saw Blizzard, tossing both the dog and his handler outside.

"_AND STAY OUT, BASTARDS!"_ Blizzard barked.

"Whoa…!" Aika whispered in surprise. "Did you see that, Kumi?!"

"…_I sure did…!"_ Kumi whispered.

Outside, Auguste happened to spot Blizzard's act and, while he seemed to remain calm, he did scowl a bit.

"That was a bit unnecessary, don't you think?" asked the Vice-Admiral.

"Well, a dog can't help when a few skunks wander into his territory," Robin said. "Blizzard is no exception."

Auguste sneered at this before he turned to the rest of his soldiers.

"Did you men find anything?" he asked.

"Nothing to report, sir," said a soldier, saluting him.

"…I see," Auguste said. "Well then…I suppose we should be leaving, then."

"Good," Nami said.

"Oh, but before I go," Auguste said before he grinned, "my offer still stands, Cat Burglar."

Nami scoffs before she looked away and held up her hand.

"You can't handle this," she said before she snapped her fingers in a Z-formation, causing the guys to gasp.

"Oh, no, she didn't!" Usopp said.

"Oh, yes, she did!" Luffy replied.

"How saucy," Auguste mused before he and his men and dogs boarded their vessel. However, as they did, one soldier, the one that Blizzard had attacked, approached him.

"V-Vice Admiral Auguste, sir," he whispered. "I was actually onto something when-"

"I know what you're about to say, soldier," Auguste whispered.

"Sir?" the soldier asked, confused.

"It's called 'giving someone the benefit of a doubt'," Auguste answered, softly. "We'll let them we didn't find anything…for now." He then looked to the Straw Hats as the battleship began to sail away.

"Farewell, Straw Hats," he said. "We shall meet again."

"Hopefully, not for a while," Usopp muttered.

"Yep," Chopper agreed.

Soon, the Marines sailed off to who-knows-where.

A pause came…but then, Aika, who had turned back into her human form, peeked her head out of the Aquarium Bar with Kumi.

"Is…is it safe to come out, now?" Aika asked.

"Yeah, Aika, it's safe," Luffy answered.

Soon, the 6-year-old girl and her puppy came out of hiding.

"That was…the Marines, wasn't it?" Aika asked.

"…Yeah, Aika," Nami replied. "It was."

Aika sighed at this.

"I thought so," she said.

"Is something wrong?" Nami asked.

"…I don't know why," Aika began, "but…I feel like they might be after me."

Everyone except Luffy and Law gasped at this.

'…_Could it be…?'_ Nami thought. _'Do the Marines actually know about Aika's heritage?'_

"Who cares why the Marines are after you?!" Luffy asked, causing everyone to look at him in surprise.

"L-Luffy?" Aika asked, confused.

"Look, Aika," Luffy said, "don't you worry about those Marines, okay? If any of them gives you trouble, just ol' Luffy a call and I'll come running with fists at the ready! And if I'm not around, Zoro and the others can always help you, too! Right, guys?"

"Right!" the Straw Hats agreed.

Aika stared at the Straw Hats in surprise…but then she smiled and nodded her head.

"Yeah! Okay!" she said. "Thanks, everybody!"

"Shishishishishi!" Luffy laughed before he looked up and gasps. "Ooh!"

"What's up, Luffy?" Nami asked.

Luffy ran to the figurehead and pointed straight ahead.

"Island!" he shouted.

"We can't be at Dressrosa already," Law said.

Everyone came to the bow of the ship and saw an island straight. The only noticeable thing it had was a large, dense forest with tall trees.

"Nami! Can we stop here?" Luffy asked. "Please?! Pretty please?!"

"It would be a nice change after what we went through on Punk Hazard," Nami answered. "And I guess we're not in a huge hurry, are we, Traffy?"

"Not really," Law replied.

"Sure, Luffy!" Nami said. "We can stop here! Besides, it's time I put an update on my maps!"

"Yes!" Luffy cheered. "Hey, Sanji! How about a Pirate Lunchbox?!"

"Sure thing," Sanji answered as he went to the kitchen.

"Pirate Lunchbox?" Aika repeated, inquisitively.

XXX

Later on, the _Sunny_ had moored on the shore of the island, and almost immediately, Luffy, Usopp, Chopper, and Blizzard had already gone ashore to explore their surroundings. Nami went off to go find a good place to do her measurements of the island with Robin accompanying her. Brook, Franky, Zoro, Kin'emon, Momonosuke, Law, and Jupiter had stayed behind to watch the ship.

Aika and Kumi also remained behind, but not to watch the ship. They just…didn't really know what to do.

"Hey."

Aika and Kumi turned to look at Zoro, who is lifting a pair of dumbbells in his hands.

"Why don't you go ahead and go with Luffy and the others," the swordsman suggested. "Better than sticking around here, bored to death, right?"

Aika started at Zoro for a moment, but then she and Kumi looked at each other before smiling and nodding their heads. Soon, Aika morphed back into her wolf form, jumped off the ship, and dashed off into the forest with Kumi following not long after.

"You think they'll be all right?" Brook asked.

"Look, if that girl really is Luffy's sister," Zoro said, "then I just don't want her to start bugging me while I'm training, got it? Besides, what could happen out there?"

XXX

Aika panted as she galloped through the pine forest with Kumi following after her, both of them laughing happily.

"_So where do you think Luffy and the others went?"_ Kumi asked.

"I can smell their scent up ahead, so they probably came through here!" Aika answered as she kept running.

"_I bet I can get to them before you can!"_ Kumi said before she began to run faster, and Aika laughed.

"You're on!" she exclaimed as she ran alongside her puppy friend. The two galloped through the forest, one trying to outrun the either in a means of friendly competition. They laughed as they ran, but as they did…Aika suddenly slipped off a steep hill!

"AAAAAH!" the wolf-girl screamed as she fell down.

"_Aika!"_ Kumi cried as she looked down the hill. _"You okay?!"_

**THWUD!** Aika landed atop a large object, soft with brown fuzz and covered in foliage from the trees. She groaned for a minute from disorientation, but then she shook her head to relieve herself of it and looked up at her companion.

"I'm okay!" she called. "I landed on something soft!"

Just then, Kumi gasped in horror.

"_A-Aika…don't move…!"_ she muttered.

"What did you say?" Aika asked. "Speak up! I can't hear you!"

But then, she hears a deep growling sound behind her. Slowly turning her head, Aika gasped upon seeing…a huge bear with a scar going down his snout and a vicious snarl on his face. Large ropes of saliva dripped from the beast's mouth as he stared down at the young wolf-girl, who is stared up at him in terror. Then, with a powerful roar, the bear stood up on his back legs, throwing Aika off its back.

"AAH!" Aika yelped as she fell down, but then she looked up at the bear and let out an ear-piercing shriek.

"_Hang on, Aika!"_ Kumi shouted as she ran down the hill and jumped at the bear, biting onto his ear. The bear growled before he shook the little Akita off and returned his angry gaze on Aika, who let out, short, rapid breaths of fear as she tried to back away. However, Kumi quickly ran back to the larger animal and bit on his ear, again.

"_Leave her alone!"_ Kumi shouted as she tried her hardest to get thrown off this time, but all it did was annoy the bear, not drive him off. Kumi was almost like a little bug-bite compared to his massive jaws, capable of crushing bones.

Irritated, the bear roared and threw Kumi off again, but this time, he turned on her, much to Aika's shock. Before Kumi could stand up again, the bear raised his paw, preparing to bring his saber-like claws down on her!

"KUMI, LOOK OUT!" Aika shouted.

Kumi gasped…before she suddenly found herself flying through the air…leaving a stream of blood flowing from her left side beside her. Not long after, Aika screamed in horror as her best friend fell beside her, bleeding profusely.

"OH, NO, KUMI!" Aika cried. "YOU'RE BLEEDING! HELP, SOMEBODY HELP!"

Just then, the bear growled as he began to approach the two, two of his right claws stained with blood. Aika gasped and tried to shake Kumi awake, but the pup was already unconscious.

"Kumi, get up!" Aika cried as tears of terror and near-grief formed in her eyes. "Get up, please! The bear's coming, Kumi, please you have to get up! KUMI!"

Just when the bear was almost on top of them, a white blur appeared out of nowhere and latched itself onto the bear's face. The bear roared in pain as he began to stumble back on two legs, a waterfall of blood seeping through the socket where his right eye once was, but is now gone…thanks to an angry Blizzard.

"B-Blizzard?!" Aika questioned before she felt two scrawny, yet strong arms scoop her up and carry her. The wolf-girl looks up and sees that it is none other than Luffy.

"You okay?!" Luffy asked.

"I-I'm fine, but Kumi-" Aika started.

"Don't worry about Kumi!" Usopp said, holding the bleeding up in his arms. "I've got her!"

"We gotta get her to the ship before she bleeds to death!" Chopper shouted.

"Wait! We left Blizzard back there!" Aika cried.

"I wouldn't worry too much about him!" Luffy replied as he looked back and watched Blizzard, viciously biting the bear's ear. "Blizzard can handle a bear!"

Aika looked up at Luffy before he stared back at Blizzard in awe.

XXX

Later that day, Luffy and the others had returned to the ship, where Chopper began to treat Kumi's injury. Luckily, he was able to stop the bleeding and suture it closed, just in time. By the time Kumi had been bandaged up, Aika was embracing her and crying tears of joy and relief, but the Akita puppy had reminded her that she is still hurting.

Nami was busy yelling at Zoro for letting the two young charges run off on their own, much to the swordsman's annoyance.

Meanwhile, Blizzard had returned as well and had gotten a well-deserved drink of water and some peanut butter cookies as reward for protecting Aika and Kumi.

Outside, Kumi is lying by the swing tree, her midsection bandaged by Chopper. Aika, in her human form, sat next to her.

"How are you feeling, Kumi?" Aika asked.

"_I'm okay,"_ Kumi answered. _"It aches a little, but it's not as bad as it was, earlier."_

"_Well, what did you expect after trying to fight off a bear?"_

Aika and Kumi looked up to see Blizzard approaching them.

"_What's that supposed to mean?"_ Kumi asked, sneering at the wolf-dog.

"_It means exactly what it means,"_ Blizzard answered. _"Look…I understand you were just trying to protect Aika, but there's only so much you can do. You're just a puppy. You're weak."_

Hearing that, Kumi's eyes went wide…but then she glared at Blizzard.

"_What did you just say?"_ she asked.

"_You heard me,"_ Blizzard answered. _"You're weak, Kumi."_

"Uh…Blizzard, maybe you shouldn't-" Aika began, but then Kumi stood up on all fours and growled.

"_I'm weak, huh?!"_ Kumi questioned. _"How dare you say that to my face!"_

"_I'm just saying the truth!"_ Blizzard answered. _"If you don't like it, that's tough!"_

"_You take that back, right now!"_ Kumi shouted. _"TAKE IT BACK!"_

With that, the little Akita jumped at Blizzard…who sighed before he raised his paw…and slammed Kumi back down to the deck with no effort at all!

"Kumi!" Aika cried.

"_G…get off me!"_ Kumi shouted.

"_You see?"_ Blizzard asked. _"I told you…you're weak!"_

"…_Okay, fine! Maybe I am weak!"_ Kumi shouted. _"But at least I'm brave enough to try and protect Aika, you big jerk!"_

"_WELL BRAVERY DOESN'T MEAN SHIT IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE STRENGTH TO BACK IT UP, YOU BRAT!"_ Blizzard barked, causing Kumi and Aika to gasp.

Nearby, Luffy stood watching from the doorway while munching on an apple. For some reason, he did not intervene.

"_Look, Kumi…I understand,"_ Blizzard said. _"Aika's your only friend. Before we came along, the only thing you had were each other. You protected her from all kinds of things: bullies…you even tried to put up an effort to protect her from Caesar and his goons…but…when you try to bite off more than you can chew, just to protect the ones you love…it might be the last thing you end up doing in your life."_

"…Blizzard," Aika muttered.

"_I should know…Luffy and I…we have that same relationship,"_ Blizzard went on. _"I've gotten stronger to protect him from whatever obstacle we face, and that I don't have throw away my life…just like he did to do the same for me."_

Kumi just stared up at Blizzard in awe…before the wolf-dog took his paw off her head and turned to leave…but then…

"_Wait!"_ Kumi cried, causing Blizzard to turn and look at her. _"…Teach me."_

"Huh?" Aika muttered.

"_What?"_ Blizzard asked.

"_Teach me!"_ Kumi repeated. _"Teach me how to be strong…so I can be able to protect Aika!"_

Hearing this caused Luffy, Blizzard, and Aika to gasp.

"Kumi…!" Aika whispered.

"_You're right, okay?!"_ Kumi said. _"I am weak…I'm just a kid! Sure, I talk a big game, but when it comes right down to it…I can't protect Aika from any real threats! I mean…look at what happened to me, today. I may've been brave…but I was foolish to think that I could protect from everything…because in my mind, I thought I was the biggest, strongest dog there is! What happened today…and what you said brought me back to reality!"_

She then bowed her head to the point where her crown touched the grass.

"_Please…teach me,"_ Kumi answered. _"I wanna be strong…so I won't lose Aika to anything!"_

Blizzard smiled at this.

"Teach me, too!"

Aika ran up to Blizzard and bowed her head as well.

"I wanna be strong, too!" she said. "I'm tired of being afraid…I'm tired of running away and hiding! I wanna be strong so that I can fight, just like you!"

Blizzard stared at the youngsters in surprise…but then he smirked.

"_Big words…coming from two little kids,"_ he said. _"I'm gonna tell you now…if you start training with me, I won't go easy on you. You've gotta be committed to it. You hear me?"_

"Yes!" Aika and Kumi answered.

"_Good,"_ Blizzard smirked at this. _"We'll start once Kumi's injury has healed."_

"Thank you, Blizzard!" Aika cheered as she ran to Blizzard and wrapped her arms around his large neck. "You're the best!"

Blizzard smiled as he nuzzled Aika affectionately before he turned and headed to the Men's Quarters. Not long after, Luffy joined his side.

"You're a softie, you know that?" Luffy asked.

"_Ah, c'mon,"_ Blizzard said. _"You gotta admit, they've got guts. It's not easy to admit you're weak, right? I ought to know…you were like that, once."_

Luffy gasped silently…as a brief of image of himself, his entire body wrapped up in bandages, sitting in the jungle of Amazon Lily, sobbing his head off appeared in his mind. Then, he sighed and looked away.

"_Sorry,"_ Blizzard said. _"I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."_

"…Don't be," Luffy answered. "It's not your fault."

With that, Luffy headed to his and Nami's room to rest for the night.

XXX

2 days later, after Kumi's wound had healed, she, Aika, and Blizzard were out on the island. The two youngsters stood at attention while Blizzard walked by them like a drill sergeant.

"_So…you two wanna be strong, huh?"_ Blizzard inquired. _"Well, lemme tell you something, ladies, getting stronger is nothing something that happens overnight. By the end of the day, your bodies will be racked with more pain than any you have ever experienced! You feet will bleed! You will be missing more than a couple of fangs! YOU WILL DISCIPLINED!"_

"…Don't you think he's taking this a bit too seriously?" Chopper asked, watching from the ship.

"I dunno," Luffy answered.

"_Rest assured, you'll be thanking me when this is over!"_ Blizzard said.

"_Suddenly, I've got a bad feeling about this,"_ Kumi muttered.

"Me, too," Aika added.

"_All right! Let's get to work!"_ Blizzard shouted. _"First matter of business: running 10 laps around the forest!"_

"10 LAPS?!" Aika and Kumi repeated.

"_Do I stutter?!"_ Blizzard questioned. _"Move, move, move!"_

Soon, Kumi and Aika, the latter back in her wolf form, began to run laps around the forest.

"…Okay, maybe I should talk to Blizzard after a while," Luffy said, sweat dropping.

"You think?"

And so, the day of training. Blizzard had Aika and Kumi running laps around the forest, which was rather tiring considering the fact that it made up most of the island. By the time they had gotten to 3, they were already too tired to continue. Plus, it was nearly midday by then. So, afterwards he decided to train them in combat. That was not very easy for them, either, considering that Blizzard overpowered, and he claimed he was only using about a quarter of his strength.

Luckily for them, they could have food and water. Still, this training Blizzard put them through was nothing less than exhausting.

By nightfall, Aika and Kumi are in Luffy and Nami's room, groaning tiredly.

"You poor things," Nami said, sympathetically. "Blizzard really had you two working hard."

"And he says we're gonna do it again, tomorrow," Aika said.

"_Who knew getting stronger would be this much work?"_ Kumi asked.

"Hey, no one said it'd be easy," Luffy answered. "I know Blizzard gave you guys a hard time today, but believe me, he means well!"

"_Maybe…we should just stick to being kids for now,"_ Kumi said, her tongue lulling out of her mouth. _"Maybe…it's too soon for us to think about getting stronger."_

"That's not true!" Luffy answered. "I was trying to get stronger since I was 7!"

"Wait, really?!" Aika questioned in surprise.

"Yep!" Luffy replied with a grin. "I had to get stronger so that I could become the Pirate King!"

"Wow, Luffy," Aika said. "You're amazing!"

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed.

"No one said getting stronger would be easy," Nami said, "but in the end, it's worth it! Don't you think?"

"…Well…if you really say so," Aika said before she smiled. "I guess I should thank Blizzard, then! He's only pushing so far because he wants us to do our best!"

"_Yeah! If we end up exhausted by the end of the day, then that's fine with me!"_ Kumi answered.

"But…if you want," Luffy began, "I think I know a way you can get back at Blizzard."

"_You do?"_ Kumi asked.

"What?" Aika asked.

Luffy gestured Aika to come closer and whispered into her ear. Whatever he said, she must have liked the idea, for she started to giggle, and Nami giggled too.

"Okay!" she exclaimed

XXX

The following morning, Aika is seen humming a happy little tune to herself…while putting little red ribbons in Blizzard's fur. Needless to say, the hapless wolf-dog felt the humiliation and dread setting in.

'_Well,'_ he thought, _'I guess I did deserve this, after all.'_

Jupiter walked by and snickered at the pure-white wolf-dog, much to his chagrin.

"_Looking good there, Snowball!"_ the spotted canine said before he went on his way.

Blizzard sighed before he looked at Aika, who laughed before she hugged his neck and gave him on the kiss on the cheek. At that…Blizzard just couldn't stay mad at that sweet face of hers.

"_The things I do for love,"_ Blizzard said before he licked Aika's face, making her laugh even more.

"_Hey, Blizzard!"_ Kumi called. _"When you're done, can we do some more training in the forest?"_

"_You sure?"_ Blizzard asked. _"Maybe I should go easy on you, this time."_

"_No way!"_ Kumi answered. _"It may be hard work, but the results are worth it, right?! If I wanna be strong like you, I gotta work hard like you!"_

Blizzard smiled at this.

"_Yeah…you sure do,"_ he said.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

Review please!


	3. The Ultimate Vehicles

**Ch. 3- The Ultimate Vehicles**

* * *

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard, Aika, Kumi, and Jupiter © Me

* * *

The following day, the Straw Hats continued sailing. Blizzard is still making due on his promise to train Aika and Kumi, but today, he decided that the girls could use a day off, much to their relief. They weren't sure if they could actually take much more. Their little bodies could only endure so much at once.

However, without something to preoccupy them, the half-pints quickly grew bored, and Nami said it would be a while until they reached the next island. To pass time, Aika and Kumi decided to do some exploring around the ship, and they started their little exploration below deck.

Right now, they had just found themselves in the Soldier Dock System, but there were so many doors, they were confused as to which one they should look in, first.

"_Why don't we try door number 1?"_ asked Kumi. _"I mean…it has 1 on it, so…"_

"I guess so," Aika said before she tried to hoist the door open, but it was so big and heavy, her tiny arms could not lift it.

"I…I can't open it!" Aika said, straining.

"What are you two doing in here?"

Aika and Kumi looked up and saw Franky, towering over them.

"Oh…hi, Franky," Aika said. "Uh…we were bored and…we decided to take a look around and we ended up in here, and we saw all these doors with numbers on them, and…we got curious."

A pause…but then, Franky smirked.

"Curious, eh?" he asked. "I can SUPER respect that!"

"Uh…really?" Aika asked.

"Tell you what, Little Sis," Franky said. "Why don't I show the SUPER Soldier Dock System?!"

"The Soldier Dock System?" Aika repeated.

"That's right!" Franky said. "The Soldier Dock System is one of the special features. You see all these doors?"

"Yes," Aika replied.

"Behind each door is a special vehicle," Franky explained, "each one more SUPER than the next!"

"…Can I see them?" Aika asked, eagerly.

"Can you see them?" Franky repeated. "HA! Of course! Hey, Usopp!"

At that moment, Usopp appeared from the workshop.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Fire up the Soldier Dock System!" Franky said. "We've got vehicles to demonstrate!"

"Ooh!" Usopp chirped, excitedly, and Aika and Kumi seemed eager, as well.

XXX

Nami smiled as she stood on the _White Rocking Horse I_ with Aika holding onto her calf. Kumi remained behind, sitting at the dock with Luffy and Franky watching along with her.

"Ready, Aika?" Nami asked as the door opened.

"I…I think so," Aika muttered, feeling nervous.

As soon as the door opened, Nami revved up the _White Rocking Horse_ and rode off into the sea, taking a screaming Aika along with her!

"WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAA!" Aika screamed with comical tears falling from her eyes.

"_Don't you think she's going a bit too fast?!"_ Kumi questioned.

Luffy didn't seem to be listening. He just pouted and shot Nami a jealous glare.

"No fair," he muttered. "How come Nami can still drive that thing, and I can't?!"

"THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT?!" Franky and Kumi questioned, comically.

Aika whimpered as she held on tightly to Nami's leg, while Nami just cheered happily.

"What do you think, Aika?!" Nami asked.

"L-l-let me off!" Aika cried. "Please! It's too fast!"

Nami gasped before she made a sharp U-turn and headed back to the _Sunny_. Once there, Aika immediately leapt off and panted heavily from her fright.

"Sorry about that Aika," Nami apologized.

"If it's okay with you," Aika began, "I dunno really wanna ride that thing for a while!"

"Guess the _White Rocking Horse_ is a bit too fast for you, Little Sis," said Franky. "Not to worry, though! I think I've got one you'll like, even better!"

"You do?" Aika asked.

XXX

Later, she, Luffy, Franky, Kumi, and Usopp are seen riding on the _Mini Merry_.

"How do you like this, Aika?" Usopp asked, steering the little steamboat. "This a nice speed for ya?"

"Wow!" Aika said. "Amazing! It's not too fast and too slow! Shishishishi!"

"Shishishishishi!" Luffy laughed. "I know, right?"

"So, why's it called the _Mini Merry_?" Aika asked.

"Because," Usopp began, "we actually had a ship called the _Going Merry_…but she's not with us anymore."

Aika and Kumi gasped silently at this.

"That's why I built this baby!" Franky said. "That SUPER ship's spirit will live on in the _Mini Merry_!"

"_Spirit?"_ Kumi repeated. _"What's he mean?"_

"I dunno," Aika answered.

"_Welcome to the crew…!"_

Aika gasped before she looked up at the _Mini Merry's_ smiling head.

"Did…did you hear a voice?" Aika asked.

"A voice?" Usopp repeated. "No. You hear something, Luffy?"

"Not me," Luffy answered.

"Not me, either," Franky added.

"_Maybe it was just your imagination, Aika,"_ Kumi suggested.

Aika looked thoughtful for a moment, but then she shrugged and smiled.

XXX

"Prepare to dive!" Sanji exclaimed as he sat in the pilot's seat of the _Shark Submerge_ with Franky, Robin, Aika, Kumi, and Brook. The shark-shaped mini-sub soon delved into the depths of the sea. As they descended, they found small schools of fish swimming by.

"So beautiful," Robin said.

"Yohohohoho!" Brook chortled. "It's just as remarkable as the last time we submerged! By the way, Miss Robin, may I see your-"

"CUT IT OUT!" Sanji barked as he kicked Brook in the skull!

"OUCH!" Brook cried.

Franky sighed at this before he looked at Aika…who was sitting in her seat, her hands around her tummy, and a sickly green hue on her face.

"Uh…hey, Little Sis, you okay there?" Franky asked.

"…I'm not used to being under the sea," Aika replied. "I think…I might…"

Before she could finish her sentence, she gagged and covered her mouth.

"_Aika!"_ Kumi cried in concern.

"Oh, my!" Robin cried.

"SHE'S GONNA TOSS HER COOKIES!" Franky shouted in a panic. "GO UP! GO UP!"

"Oh, boy!" Sanji exclaimed as he steered the sub back up to the surface. Once they are back on the _Sunny_, Aika took that time to take a breath of fresh air.

"You feeling okay?" Franky asked.

"I…I think so," Aika said, taking a deep breath and drinking some water.

"The poor dear," Brook said, pitifully.

"Maybe we shouldn't try the Sharky Sub, either," Aika suggested.

"_Shark Submerge_," Franky corrected.

"Right, what you said," said Aika. "So…aside from those 3, are there anymore of your vehicles I can see?"

"Sure there are!" Franky answered. "But these two are more land-based than the first 3."

"Well, lucky for us, we'll be reaching an island soon," Robin said. "You can be able to demonstrate those vehicles, too, Aika."

Aika smiled eagerly at this.

XXX

Later on, the crew had docked at another island; one that had a large town.

Once there, Chopper decided to ride in the _Brachio Tank_ with Aika…and somehow, Zoro and Law had been forced to join them.

"Can somebody tell me how I got roped into this?!" Law questioned as Kumi sat on his hat, which ended up covering his eyes.

"Hey, I'm wondering the same thing as you are!" Zoro barked.

"Ready, Lt. Aika?!" Chopper asked.

"Ready, Commander Chopper!" Aika exclaimed with a salute before she steered the tank forward. The two laughed as they played army with Law and Zoro grumbling grumpily during the whole ride. However, as they drove…they didn't notice they were being watched.

Nearby, a Marine soldier sitting on a motorcycle, as well as several others happened to be watching the scene and speaking into a Mini Transponder Snail.

"Sir," he said. "Target has been sighted."

"**Excellent,"** said the voice of Vice-Admiral Auguste.

"Shall we pursue them, sir?"

"…**No…not yet. Let them be lulled into a false sense of security. Next time you see them, then you may pursue…but if you get the girl…bring her alive."**

"Understood, sir!"

The Marines watched as Aika and Chopper continued to ride the _Brachio Tank_.

"Hey! Let's go back!" Aika said. "Franky said he's got one more vehicle for me to see!"

"Oh, yeah! You'll like it!" Chopper said.

"So does this mean we can finally outta this thing?!" Zoro asked. "It's freaking cramped!"

"And I can barely see with this pup sitting on my head!" Law added.

With that, they headed back to the ship to try one last vehicle.

XXX

"SUUUUUPEEEEEERR~!"

"WHOO-HOO~!"

**VRROOOOOOMM!** Franky, Aika, and Kumi went speeding through the streets of the town on the _Black Rhino FR-U_ with Aika cheering happily the whole way. The two youngsters sat in a side car that Franky had recently installed called the _Mini Black Rhino_.

"Make way for the _Black Rhino FR-U!_" Franky yelled. "SUPER~!"

"This is so much fun, Franky!" Aika shouted. "Thank you!"

"Glad you like it, so much!" Franky said. "It's not going too fast for you, right?!"

"Nope! It's perfect!" Aika replied.

Kumi howled in agreement at this.

However, as they kept riding, they didn't notice the same Marine motorcyclists from earlier.

"Let's go!" one shouted before they revved up their cycles and drove after them. Upon hearing their roaring engines, Aika turned and gasped upon seeing them.

"Franky!" she cried. "The Marines are here!"

"What?!" Franky questioned before the Marines began to surround them.

"Cyborg Franky! Stop your vehicle!" shouted one of them, driving on Franky's left side. "You're under arrest!"

"Says who?!" Franky shouted before he punched him away, causing him to skid off and crash into a stack of crates. However, as he was driving, another Marine that was driving on his right tried to reach out and grab Aika!

"AAH!" Aika screamed. "D-DON'T TOUCH ME!"

**CHOMP!** Kumi bit the Marine's hand, causing him to cry out in pain, and because he didn't have both hands on the handlebars, he ended up meeting the same fate as one of his comrades!

"Hang on tight, kiddo!" Franky shouted as he began to drive even faster. "I'm gonna try and shake 'em!"

Soon, Franky kicked the _Black Rhino_ into high gear and started to drive as fast as he could, but the Marines were in hot pursuit.

"Don't let them get away!" shouted another Marine as they began to catch up.

"They're gaining!" Aika shouted.

Franky growled at this…but then he spotted a hat shop up ahead, and there was no time to turn!

"Cover your eyes, you two!" Franky shouted, and Aika and Kumi did just that.

**SMASH!** Franky smashed the _Black Rhino_ through the wall of the building, sending many customers into a panic as they scrambled out of the way of the vehicle. Not long after, the Marines still followed behind!

As they kept driving through the store, they sent various merchandise flying all over the floor. Some of them even ended up on their heads. Franky ended up getting a sombrero on his head while Aika and Kumi ended up wearing a sunhat and a black top hat, respectively. The Marines also ended up wearing a variety of hats: bowler hats, ten-gallon hats, straw hats (not like the kind Luffy wears), and others. However, they are still in hot pursuit of the three.

"They're gonna catch up to us!" Aika cried.

"I can't believe I'm saying this," Franky began, "but…Aika, you gotta drive for me!"

"What?! B-but I'm just a little girl!" Aika shouted.

"I know that!" Franky answered. "I only ask because I gotta shoot these guys, but I can't shoot and drive at the same time! Can you do that for me?!"

"I…I guess so!" Aika said.

"Great!" Franky smirked. "I'm SUPER counting on ya, Little Sis!"

Aika gulped nervously…but then she nodded her head.

"Leave it to me!" she exclaimed with a serious expression.

With that, Franky turned and aimed his left fist at the Marines while Aika took to the handlebars.

"Eat lead, bastards!" Franky shouted. "WEAPONS LEFT!"

**BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG!** Franky began to open fire on the Marines, who yelped as they tried to dodge the incoming bullets. Some of them even tried to shoot back at him, but Franky managed to shoot out one of their tires, causing one of them to crash into another!

"Hell yeah!" Franky shouted before he kept firing.

Aika grunted as she kept trying to drive. It was rather difficult due to her small stature, so she had to stand up in the seat to get a good view of where she was going. After all, the _Black Rhino_ was meant for someone of Franky's size, not her. Luckily, Franky was keeping his feet on the peddles for her.

Suddenly, Aika spotted a sharp turn up ahead. At first, she gasped in surprise, unsure of what to do…but then she growled and quickly turned to the right! She almost threw Franky and Kumi off, had they not held on tight enough! Unfortunately for the Marines, they ended up crashing into a brick wall not long after!

"Dammit!" cursed one of them before he picked up his Mini Transponder Snail. "Vice-Admiral…I'm sorry! I'm afraid they got away!"

"**Even the child?"** Auguste asked.

"Yes, sir," the Marine said.

"**Ugh…damn."**

"What should we do, sir? Our motorcycles are totaled!"

"…**Return to base, for now. We need to rethink our strategy."**

"Yes, sir!"

XXX

Later, the three managed to return to the _Sunny_, unscathed. Once they returned, Franky immediately filled the rest of the Straw Hats in on what happened. Needless to say, Nami was not at all pleased by what she had heard.

"The Marines saw you with Aika?!" she questioned. "You idiot! What were you thinking?!"

"Relax! We got away!" Franky said. "What amazed me though was the fact that Aika managed to drive the _Black Rhino_ so well! You should've seen her! The way she handled the sharp turn, it was like a dream!"

Aika blushed and smiled sheepishly at this.

"What?!" Luffy questioned. "You're kidding me! She can drive that thing better than I can?! She's just a kid!"

"Luffy, every time you so much as the _Black Rhino_, you ended up breaking it in some way," Usopp pointed out.

"Do not!" Luffy rebuked. "Here! I'll show you, right now!"

"Luffy, no," Franky said. "Please, not again!"

His pleas clearly fell on deaf ears, for Luffy sat in the seat of the _Black Rhino_, revved up the engine…and sped towards a huge tree!

"LUFFY, STOP!" Zoro cried, but it was too late.

**BAM!** Luffy ended up crashing the motorbike into a beech tree, completely smashing the front!

"Uh…whoops," Luffy muttered. "Sorry, Franky."

"DAMN YOU, LUFFY!" Franky shouted before he ran towards the captain. "I'LL STRANGLE YOU! COME OVER HERE!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Luffy screamed before he ran away.

After about 15 minutes, Franky gave up on chasing Luffy and took the _Black Rhino_ back on board the _Sunny_ to get it fixed, and the Straw Hats set sail from the island. Despite what happened with the Marines, Aika claimed she had a fun time with Franky, and asked the cyborg if they could do it again, someday, to which he almost tearfully agreed to.

However…something still bothered Nami. If what Franky said was true…it was clear that the Marines were after Aika…but the navigator hoped it was not the reason she thought it was.

She would hate for Aika to end up…like Ace.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

I know, it's kinda short. I actually estimate that Luffy's chapter will be the longest.

Review, please!


	4. The Last of Us

**Ch. 4- The Last of Us**

* * *

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard, Aika, Kumi, and Jupiter © Me

* * *

Nighttime on the _Thousand Sunny_. Everyone has gone to bed to rest for the day ahead. Law and Jupiter are the only ones who are awake in order to keep watch.

In Luffy and Nami's love nest, the captain and navigator are currently fast asleep. However, they are suddenly awakened by…a wet mattress…?

"Oh, my god!" Luffy cried as he sat up and pinched his nostrils closed. "The bed's wet!"

"Ugh…!" Nami groaned. "Luffy, did you drink too much water, again?!"

"Not me," Luffy answered. "Maybe it was you!"

"No way!" Nami argued before a look of realization appeared on her face. "Hey…where's Aika?"

"Huh?" Luffy asked. "Well…I thought she was in bed the whole time."

"…I wonder," Nami said before she got up, put on her robe, and headed upstairs with Luffy following after her. Upon going outside, they heard the sound of water running coming from the bathhouse. They followed the sound and opened the door…to find Robin, sitting by the tub…where Aika is seen soaking in the water.

"Robin?" Nami asked. "What's going on?"

"You mean the fact that you woke up in a wet bed smelling of urine and Aika sitting in the tub isn't obvious?" Robin asked.

"…Oh, dear," Nami muttered.

"So Aika wet our bed?" Luffy asked.

"Yes," Robin answered. "The poor dear seems to have had a nightmare."

"A nightmare?" Nami repeated. "About what?"

"She wouldn't tell me," Robin answered as she kept washing Aika. "She just said she had a nightmare and that's it. After that…she just…clammed up."

"Wow…it must've been pretty bad, huh?" Luffy asked.

"…Poor Aika," Nami said.

So, after getting Aika out of the tub to get her dry and washing the bed sheets, Luffy, Nami, and Robin returned to bed to have their sleep. However…Aika appeared to be unable to cast off into slumber.

'_If I can't sleep…I can't have that bad dream,'_ she thought.

XXX

The next morning, Luffy and Nami awoke to a dry bed. However…they also found that Aika was not in bed with them. Panicked, they ran around to go find her, but they didn't have to look, for they found her, sitting in the Aquarium Bar with Kumi at her side, watching the fish.

"Aika?" Nami asked, causing the wolf-girl to gasp in surprise before she turned to face her and Luffy.

"Oh! H-hi, Nami," Aika said. "Hi, Luffy."

"What are you doing in here?" Luffy asked.

"I…I just wanted to be alone for a bit," Aika answered. "Also…I…I thought that maybe you…"

"You thought what?" Luffy asked. "That we were mad at you for the whole bed-wetting thing? Relax! We're not mad at you for that! Robin said you had a bad dream, didn't you?"

"…Yeah," Aika said.

"Well, what was it about?" Nami asked. "C'mon, honey, you can tell us. What happened?"

"…I…just don't wanna talk about it, okay?" Aika asked. "It's…not something I like to remember."

'_I wonder…'_ Nami thought.

"…Aika?" she asked. "Does your nightmare have anything to do with…the Marines?"

Aika gasped as the Marine insignia suddenly flashed before her eyes, followed by the sound of a cannonball whistling through the air before exploding against a house, and then images of burning buildings, people running around in a panic, a shadowy figure in the midst of the chaos…and finally, the bloody woman that appeared in her memory back on Punk Hazard.

Aika cried out as she held her head, as if in pain, causing Nami to gasp as she ran over to the girl and placed a hand on her back, rubbing it in a soothing, reassuring manner.

"…I'm right, though, aren't I?" Nami asked. "You dreamt about the Marines last night, didn't you?"

"…Yes," Aika answered.

"What happened in your dream, anyway?" Luffy asked.

"…I just don't wanna talk about it, okay?" Aika asked.

"Aika, if you don't tell us what's wrong, you'll never overcome this fear of yours," Nami said.

"I just can't!" Aika shouted. "It's…it's too much…!"

With that, she began to cry, and Kumi whimpered as she licked her face, trying to comfort her. Nami sighed before she stood up and walked out with Luffy following her.

"Poor Aika," Nami said. "Whatever the Marines did to her, it must've been pretty bad."

"Yeah…you said that this happened before, right?" Luffy asked. "Back on Punk Hazard, when she first saw the Marines, she freaked out."

"Yeah…I'm worried, Luffy," Nami said. "Maybe she thinks she can't trust us with the truth."

"Sounds rather familiar, doesn't it?"

The couple looked up to see Robin, standing on the upper deck in front of her flower garden.

"Robin?" Nami asked. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough," Robin answered. "I couldn't help but listen in on your conversation, and I believe I know where Aika's coming from."

"You do?" Luffy asked.

"Oh, right…back at Water 7 with the whole CP9 mess," Nami said. "So…you think Aika doesn't trust us with her past, either?"

"Exactly," Robin said. "You may not be able to get through to her, but maybe I will."

"You think you can do that, Robin?" Luffy asked.

"Have I ever steered you wrong?" the archaeologist asked.

"Hmm…good point," Luffy said with a smile. "We'll leave Aika to you, Robin!"

Robin chuckled at this.

XXX

Later on, Aika is sitting in the library, play Koi-Koi with Momonosuke. However, it looked like Aika seemed rather uninterested in the game, seeing as how she didn't seem to trying to put up an effort to win.

"Princess Aika," Momonosuke said, concerned. "You don't seem very interested in playing the game. Does something trouble."

"No, Momo," Aika answered. "I…I just don't feel like myself, today."

Momonosuke and Kumi looked at Aika in concern, but then gasped when they saw Robin appear behind her, as if out of thin air.

"Hello, children," Robin greeted.

"Oh! Lady Robin!" Momonosuke said.

"Hi, Miss Robin," Aika said.

"Momonosuke, Kumi," Robin said. "Do you mind if Aika and I talk alone for a little while?"

"A-all right," Momonosuke said as he and Kumi left, the latter looking at Aika worriedly before she proceeded to exit.

Robin then took a seat in front of Aika, who fiddled with her hands out of nervousness.

"So, Aika," Robin said. "About that nightmare you've been having…how long have you had it, exactly?"

"…How long?" Aika asked. "Well…I guess ever since I got taken on that boat to Punk Hazard."

"I see," Robin said, nodding her head.

'_If what she says is true, that means that this trauma happened before she was kidnapped by Caesar's men,'_ she thought.

"Aika…can you tell me exactly what happened between you and the Marines?" the archaeologist asked.

Aika gasped at this.

"…I…I don't wanna talk about it!" she said. "I never wanna talk about it!"

Robin frowned at this. Not out of frustration, but more out of concern.

"Aika," she said in a gentle tone, "I know it sounds like a lot to ask…and it probably is…but, if you don't trust people with your past…then you won't come to trust anyone. I know…because I've been there."

Aika blinked at Robin, who stood up and walked toward the door, only stopping halfway as she began to speak.

"For a long time…I've carried a very heavy burden on my shoulders," Robin said. "I've lived a life on the run, unable to find a true home. I've actually stooped so low as to betray others just so I could survive. I found myself unable to fully trust people…especially the ones that have come to care for me."

As Robin said this…images of herself, two years ago, leaving the Straw Hats behind in Iceburg's mansion back on Water 7, flashed before her eyes.

"I actually wished death upon myself," Robin added, causing Aika to gasp. "I believed that everyone I came across would eventually abandon me…but not anymore. Not since…I've met these people."

"'These people'?" Aika repeated. "You mean…Luffy and the others?"

"Exactly," Robin said, smiling. "Aika…you should know that no one thinks of you as burden. You're one of us…and as such, you can trust us with the truth. So when you feel like you're ready to talk about your past…I'm willing to listen."

With that, the Oharan walked out of the library, leaving Aika to think about her words. Not long after, Kumi came back in.

"_Hey,"_ the Akita pup said. _"So…what did Robin say?"_

Aika just remained quiet.

"_Uh…Aika? You hear me?"_ Kumi asked. _"Hello~? Aika!"_

**YIP!** Kumi barked out, gaining Aika's attention.

"Oh!" Aika exclaimed. "Hi, Kumi."

"_Aika, are you okay?"_ Kumi asked. _"You're really starting to worry me, you know."_

"I'm sorry," Aika apologized. "I…I just have a lot on my mind."

"_A lot on your mind?"_ Kumi repeated, confused.

"Yeah…" Aika said, solemnly. "I…I haven't been truthful with everyone…and maybe it's time I talked about it."

Kumi just blinked curiously.

XXX

Later on, Robin is sitting in the Aquarium Bar, reading a book and enjoying a cup of coffee, when suddenly…Aika entered.

"Miss Robin?" she asked.

"Yes, Aika?" Robin asked.

"…I was thinking about what you said earlier," Aika said, "and…I was wondering…is it okay…if I tell you?"

Robin smiled before she scooted over and patted a spot next to her.

"Have a seat," she said, and Aika climbed up to sit next to her. After taking a moment to get comfortable, the girl began to speak.

"Well…first of all," she began, "I was born on an island called Wolf Paw Island. It gets the name because it looks like a giant wolf's paw print."

"I see," Robin said. "Go on."

"My Mommy's name was Kamiya," Aika said. "She was a singer."

"Oh, really?" Robin asked, eyes going wide in intrigue and surprise.

"Yeah," Aika answered with a smile. "She wore a red, sparkly dress and had long, curly hair!"

"I bet your mother made lots of money," Robin said.

"Yeah! She made lots and lots of money!" Aika replied. "And we lived in a big, blue house with lots of stairs and a big backyard full of flowers!"

Robin chuckled at this.

"I had lots of neighbors, and they were all very nice to me," Aika said. "Some of the men around my village even sent my Mommy flowers."

Hearing this caused Robin to burst into even more laughter, and Aika couldn't help but laugh as well.

"It was such a nice life," Aika said. "It was just me and my Mommy. I didn't even know who my Daddy was."

"What about Kumi?" Robin asked. "Didn't she live with you and your mother, too?"

"Oh, I didn't meet Kumi yet," Aika said. "That was…after…"

"After?" Robin repeated.

Aika took in a deep breath and sighed.

"It all happened a year ago," she explained. "I was going down to the beach to play with my friends."

_Flashback_

Near the northern shore of Wolf Paw Island, five-year-old Aika is seen running along the coast with 3 children: two boys and another girl about her age with dark red hair and a pink shirt with cherries on them.

"C'mon, Aika!" shouted a boy with swirl-y glasses and runny nose. "Race you to Rabbit Rock!"

"You're on!" Aika said before she ran as fast as she could, laughing all the way. Soon, they reached a large rock that looked just like a rabbit, with Aika climbing all the way to its "ears".

"I win!" she exclaimed.

"You always win, Aika!" said the boy with brown hair.

"Yeah! You're the fastest out of all of us!" added the other girl. "You're almost like a wolf!"

"Shishishishi!" Aika giggled. "Thanks, guys. Maybe one of these days, I'll let you win!"

The children laughed at this, but as they did…Aika suddenly spotted something out of the corner of her eye.

"Hey! Bamba, Luca, Cherrie! Look!" Aika said.

The boys, known as Bamba and Luca, and the other girl, Cherrie, looked out to the horizon where Aika's view followed. There…they saw about 5 large ships coming into view. Not just any ships…but Marine battleships.

"The Marines?" asked Bamba, the boy with the swirl-y glasses.

"What are they doing here?" asked Cherrie. "They hardly come by the island."

"Maybe they're just on patrol," said Luca, the boy with brown hair.

"Yeah, you're probably right," said Bamba.

"…I dunno," Aika said. "I don't know why…but…I kinda have bad feeling."

"What are you talking about, Aika?" Cherrie asked. "The Marines are supposed to be the good guys!"

"I-I know, but-" Aika began…but before she could say another word, the children heard a loud **BOOM!** Not long after, they hear the sound of a cannonball whistling through the air…before finally making impact and exploding on the island!

"AAAAAAHH!" the kids screamed, and not long after, the battleships started to open fire in rapid speed!

"W-what's going on?!" Luca questioned. "Why are they shooting at us?!"

"I dunno, but it's scary!" cried Cherrie.

Aika breath came out in short, fast pants before she suddenly stood up and ran off.

"Wait! Aika, where are you going?!" called Bamba.

"I have to go find my Mommy!" Aika cried as the Marines continued to fire on the island.

XXX

On the other side of the island, it is revealed that there are five more battleships, also firing on the island. Many villagers scrambled around in a panic, confused and frightened as to why the "Soldiers for Justice" would open fire on a peaceful island like theirs!

Among the villagers, a woman with long, black hair and wearing a sparkly red dress is seen running amongst the streets as the destruction continued. Her eyes darted left and right as she tried to maneuver through the crowds of panicked people.

"Aika?!" she called. "Aika! Aika, where are you, sweetie?! Answer me! AIKA!"

Not too far away, it is revealed that Aika was trying to search for her mother, as well.

"Mommy!" she shouted. "Mommy, where are you?!"

All of a sudden, a huge explosion went off behind her, causing the girl to look back and gasp…for there, stepping out of the ruins of a burning house…stood Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, whose arms oozed with magma. Aika gasped and stammered in fright at the sight of the tall, grim-looking man. At first, it looked like Sakazuki did not notice her…but then, as if he knew…he turned his head to look at the girl, and almost instantly, his cold glare caused Aika to freeze on the spot.

'_W…why's he looking at me like that?!'_ she thought. _'Why…why can't I run?! My legs…they won't listen to me!'_

Sakazuki stood there for a moment, in spite of the island being under heavy fire from the Marines. Then, he reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a picture: a picture of Aika, smiling at the camera. Without a word…he walked toward Aika.

'_That…that man!'_ Aika thought. _'He's gonna get me! He's really gonna get me! I can't run away…I can't even yell!'_

Just then…Sakazuki lunged at Aika, turning his arm into a giant dog's head!

"HOUND BLAZE!" he shouted before the magma dog lunged at Aika, preparing to melt down her entire body into ash! At that moment, Aika finally found her voice, and upon doing so, she let out a shrill scream of terror!

Then, out of nowhere…everyone went black, just briefly…before a scream of agony pierced the air, causing Aika to snap out of her short unconscious state and gasp…upon seeing that it was her mother…Kamiya…with her right leg completely melted off by Sakazuki's attack!

"M…Mommy…?!" Aika squeaked…but Kamiya just looked down at her daughter, smiling at her despite a small sliver of blood trickling down her lower lip.

"I…it'll be okay, Aika," Kamiya said. "I promise."

Aika gasped in horror before her mother grunted in pain and began to drag herself and Aika away from the burning village. Sakazuki only scoffed at the mother's efforts to protect her child.

"Foolish woman," he said. "Your attempts to escape are in vain. You and that girl will die here!"

Kamiya just glared at Sakazuki, still trying to keep Aika cradled safely in her arm. Just when the Fleet Admiral was about to attack once again, a group of men, carrying various makeshift weapons like pitchforks, shovels, and hoes, suddenly charged at Sakazuki.

"Run away, Miss Kamiya!" shouted one of them. "Hurry! Get Aika to the docks!"

"We'll hold him off as long as we can!" shouted another.

Kamiya nodded before continued to drag herself and Aika away, while the men valiantly tried to defend her from Sakazuki. Unfortunately, as Aika looked back…all she saw was the magma-man melting down them with his burning fists!

"Don't look back, Aika!" Kamiya said, panting. "Don't look back, whatever you do!"

Aika nodded and screwed her eyes shut, but it was useless trying to block out the pained screams coming from the men that tried to defend her and her mother.

However, they must've held Sakazuki off long enough, for soon, Kamiya and Aika arrived at the docks, where a single dinghy is seen floating.

Kamiya grunted in pain as she put Aika in the boat, and then untied it from the pier.

"Aika…" Kamiya whispered. "You…you have to get away, no matter what."

"But…why can't you go with me?!" Aika asked. "Please, Mommy! Come with me!"

"…I can't Aika," Kamiya answered, her voice getting weaker and more hoarse before she coughed. "I…I'm not going to last much longer."

Aika gasped before she looked at her mother's bloody leg, which had left a crimson trail behind them.

"Besides…that man will find us both if you stay here any longer," Kamiya said. "My blood will lead him right to us. Aika…you must escape without me."

"No! I won't!" Aika cried as tears began to well up in her arms "Please, Mommy…you gotta go with me…!" She then sniffled and sobbed quietly. "…I don't wanna be alone…!"

A pause…but then, Aika felt her mother gently pet her on the head.

"You won't be alone, Aika," Kamiya said, smiling at her. "Mommy…will always be with you…"

"…Really, Mommy…you mean it?" Aika asked.

"Yes, Aika," Kamiya whispered…but then she twitched and coughed even more. "I…I don't have much time. Aika…you have to go…!"

"…I love you, Mommy…!"

"…I love you, too…"

And so, using every last bit of strength she had…Kamiya pushed Aika's boat away from the docks, sending her adrift.

As Aika's boat was pulled away by the tide…the girl watched in horror as the Marines continued to lay waste to the island…and her mother watched her with a sad smile. Before long…she was hit by an artillery shell…and disappeared within the flames. Soon after, a tower of smoker and fire billowed into the sky, and not long after…Aika's mournful sobs filled the air.

_Flashback end_

"And that…was the last time I saw her," Aika said, sniffling as fat tears rolled down her cheeks. "A few days later…I got picked up by those sheep-men with all those kids…that's where I met Kumi…but even then…I felt really sad…because I knew that I would never see my Mommy or all my friends again!"

With that, Aika began to sob loudly…while Robin sat there, staring into space with a look of utter shock and horror on her face.

The way Aika described the destruction…the 10 Marine battleships…even Sakazuki's presence…it all became clear.

Aika's home…had been destroyed by the Buster Call…just like her.

At that moment, Robin realized that Aika was in tears, and her maternal instinct took over. She grabbed the wolf-girl in her arms and pulled her into a tight embrace…and not long after, Robin began to break down in tears, herself.

"I'm so sorry, Aika…!" Robin whispered. "I'm so, SO sorry!"

Aika continued to cry in Robin's arms with the archaeologist crying along with her.

XXX

"What?!" Nami questioned as Robin came and told her, as well as everyone else everything that Aika had told her. Luffy happened to not be present, for he was getting himself a snack in the kitchen.

"Robin, are you sure?!" Usopp asked.

"Yes," Robin answered. "Every word."

"…Come to think of it," Nami began, "Aika did say she didn't have a home to go back to."

"Yeah," Sanji agreed, "but…I actually thought she was abandoned something. I actually wish that was the case."

"But what I don't understand is why," Zoro said. "Why did they do it? They know that there were innocent people living on the island, too, didn't they?!"

"That's the thing about the Buster Call," Robin said. "It doesn't discriminate between good or evil. As long as the World Government destroys their target…it doesn't matter what happens to any innocent civilians who were in the line of fire. It's just meant for discrimination."

"…Oh, yeah," Chopper said. "You went through the same thing, didn't you, Robin?"

Blizzard whimpered at this.

"Oh, right…sorry, Robin," Zoro said.

"No…it's not your fault," Robin said. "What's done is done."

"Still…something worries me," Nami added. "If there was a Buster Call issued to Aika's home…especially since Akainu was there…could it be that they knew all along about who Aika's father is?"

Everyone gasped at this.

"That…does sound like a possibility…!" Franky muttered.

"Good heavens…!" Brook whispered.

"If that's the case…I guess we can rule out that the Marines think we kidnapped her," Nami said.

"And that means we gotta keep extra tabs on her, especially going on an island," Franky said. "Who knows where those Marine bastards will strike next?!"

"Right," Nami agreed. "And remember…we also can't let them reveal Aika's heritage…especially with Luffy around, got it?"

Everyone nodded at this.

XXX

Meanwhile, on Auguste's ship, the Vice-Admiral is seen sitting in his office, enjoying a meal of freshly cooked meat and a drink of bourbon on the rocks.

As he did, the door opened, and a soldier soon entered, saluting him as he did.

"Vice-Admiral Auguste, sir!" he said. "I have a report! We've located the Straw Hat Pirates' ship!"

"Excellent," said Auguste. "What about the girl?"

"She's with them, sir," the soldier.

"Right," Auguste said. "Remember…we're free to kill the Straw Hats…but we must get that girl alive. Fleet Admiral Sakazuki's orders."

"Yes, sir!" the soldier exclaimed.

Auguste smirked and chuckled.

"…That little scourge has run free for far too long," he said. "It doesn't matter how young you are…the Long Arms of Justice will find you…Aika."

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

Review, please!


	5. The Doctors of Cherry Blossoms and Death

**Ch. 5- The Doctors of Cherry Blossoms and Death**

* * *

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard, Aika, Kumi, and Jupiter © Me

* * *

As night had begun to fall, the Straw Hats, Kin'emon, Momonosuke, Law, and Jupiter are preparing to head to bed themselves. However, the Straw Hat crew, save for Luffy, seemed a bit uneasy to sleep after hearing about Aika's tragic incident with the Buster Call. Even Aika seemed unable to sleep now.

Right now, the wolf-girl is, surprisingly, sitting on the figurehead of the ship, all by her lonesome.

Upon recalling that tragic incident…Aika now found herself remembering the days she used to spend with Kamiya. The 6-year-old girl reached into her pocket…and pulled out her Lucky Cherry Blossom.

'_Mommy…you gave this to me,'_ Aika thought.

_Flashback_

Aika laughed as frolicked around in the rain of cherry blossoms falling from the trees like snow. She even made a little cherry blossom angel in a big pile of petals.

"Aika! Come inside, sweetheart! I have a surprise for you!"

Aika gasped softly as she heard her mother calling her name before she ran inside her large mansion, where Kamiya was waiting for her at her desk with her hands wrapped around each other.

"Look what I have," Kamiya said before she opened her hands…revealing a cherry blossom, which gleamed softly in the sun due to it being covered by a special resin.

Aika gasped in delight at the flower before she gently took it into her hands.

"This cherry blossom used to give me good luck," Kamiya said. "Now…I want you to have it."

"Really, Mommy?" Aika asked.

"Really," Kamiya answered before Aika smiled and wrapped her arms around her mother's neck, causing her to return the embrace.

"I love you, Aika," Kamiya said.

"I love you, too, Mommy," Aika replied.

_Flashback end_

"Aika?"

Aika gasped before she turned and saw Chopper, standing on the deck behind her.

"Are you okay?" Chopper asked.

"Oh…hi, Chopper," Aika said, solemnly. "No…I guess I'm not okay."

"…Robin told us about…what happened between you and the Marines," Chopper said. "I'm sorry about your home…and your mother."

"It's not your fault," Aika said. "It just happened…for no reason at all."

'_Damn those Marines,'_ Chopper thought. _'What did Aika ever do to deserve something like that?!'_

At that moment, the little reindeer spotted Aika's Lucky Cherry Blossom.

"Oh! Isn't that your Lucky Cherry Blossom?" Chopper asked.

"Huh?" Aika asked. "Oh! Yeah! I've had it with me for as long as I can remember."

"You said your mother gave it to you, didn't you?" Chopper asked.

"Yeah," Aika said, smiling. "When I have it with me…I feel like my Mommy's still here, you know?"

Chopper smiled and said, "Yeah. I know what you mean. I like cherry blossoms because they remind me of the man who helped me believe I could be a doctor. He actually made cherry blossoms bloom in a Winter Island!"

"Really?!" Aika asked in surprise.

"Yeah!" Chopper answered. "They're very special because the cherry blossoms in Drum Island only appear there! Although, I hear it's called Cherry Blossom Kingdom, these days."

Aika giggled.

"I like talking to you, Chopper," she said…before she pulled him into a tight hug, causing him to turn a bit blue. "And you're nice to hug, too!"

"ACK!" Chopper cried. "Too tight…too tight, Aika!"

"Oops! Sorry!" Aika said before she loosened her grip. "That better?"

"Yeah," Chopper answered with a content hum.

All of a sudden, they heard a faint whistling sound in the air…which got louder and louder until…**BOOM!** The water suddenly burst in an explosion beside them, rocking the _Sunny_!

"WHOA!" Aika and Chopper cried.

At that moment, the rest of the Straw Hats, as well as Law, Jupiter, and Kin'emon came outside.

"What the hell was that?!" Luffy questioned.

"Sounded like artillery fire!" Nami cried.

"Hey, Luffy!" Zoro shouted from the Crow's Nest. "We got a problem! Incoming Marines off port!"

"The Marines?!" Aika questioned before she and Luffy looked…and saw a Marine battleship approaching. Not just that, but Vice-Admiral Auguste is on board.

"Dammit! It's him, again!" Luffy cursed.

"Just great," Usopp grumbled.

"_Aika! This way!"_ Kumi shouted. _"We can hide in Luffy and Nami's room!"_

"Right!" Aika said before she turned into her wolf form and hurried inside with Kumi.

"Get ready, guys," Luffy said. "If these Marines are looking for a fight, we're gonna give 'em one!"

"Right!" the Straw Hats exclaimed, getting into fighting stances.

"If those Marine dogs seek to cause trouble for you," Kin'emon said, "then I shall gladly give them a taste of my steel!"

"Whatever," Law said. "I was actually getting a bit bored, anyway."

"_That makes two of us,"_ Jupiter agreed with a snarl.

"**Attention, Straw Hat Pirates!"** Auguste shouted into a Transponder Snail Bullhorn. **"You are all hereby under arrest! Stop your vessel and prepare to be boarded! You will also turn the girl known as Aika over to us!"**

"I don't know why you Marine punks are after Aika," Luffy began, "but it doesn't matter! We're NOT handing her over to you!"

"Very well," Auguste said. "Men! Prepare to open fire!"

"Yes, sir!" shouted the soldiers.

"Get ready!" Zoro said. "Here they come!"

Auguste raised his hand, preparing to give the order to fire.

"Ready…take aim…FIRE!" he shouted.

**BOOM-BOOM-BABOOM!** The Marines began to fire at the Straw Hats, but they were prepared for the counterattack!

"Gum-Gum…FIRE SALUTE~!" Luffy roared, inflating his stomach and bouncing the cannonballs back with extra force!

**SLASH! BOOM!** Zoro and Kin'emon cut the cannonballs in half, causing them to explode in midair, and Sanji just kicked them away like soccer balls!

Jupiter flew through the air in his Great Horned Owl form with Law sitting on his back. The Warlord held up one hand and released his Room over the battleship before he held up his already brandished sword.

**SLICE!** He cut the Marine soldiers into pieces, and then rearranged their parts!

"AH! HELP! I'VE GOT FEET FOR HANDS!"

"HEY! WHERE'S MY BODY?! WHY IS MY HEAD STUCK TO SOMEONE'S BACK?!"

"YAAAAAH! MY HEAD IS LEFT HAND SHOULD BE!"

Law smirked at this…but then, out of nowhere, Jupiter suddenly screeched in pain and flapped his wings erratically!

"Whoa!" Law cried as he tried to hang on. "Jupiter, what's gotten into you?!"

"_Something's pierced my leg!"_ Jupiter cried.

Law looked down at Jupiter's left leg…and saw 3 arrows sticking out of it. Then, he looked back at Auguste…who held up what looked like a cross between a crossbow and a machine gun.

At that moment, as the battleship neared the _Thousand Sunny_, the Marines began to jump aboard along with Auguste's dogs.

"Storm the ship, men!" Auguste ordered. "Find that girl and bring her back alive!"

"Damn!" Luffy cursed. "Straw Hats! Time to fight!"

"Right!" the Straw Hats shouted in agreement.

"You guys go!" Law said, helping Jupiter into a room. "I gotta help Jupiter!"

"Right! Leave it to us!" Luffy shouted before he charged at several Marine soldiers, imbuing his arms with Haki as he did. "Gum-GUUUUUM…GATLING!"

**WHAM-WHAM-WHAM-WHAM!** Luffy punched the soldiers away.

"Lion's Strike of DEATH!" Zoro shouted as he cut down several Marines in one fell swing of his sword!

"Gust SWORD!" Nami cried as she hit several more Marines with a gust of wind from her Sorcery Clima-Tact!

"Certain Death: Green Star…SARGASSO!" Usopp shouted before he shot a Pop Green, which released a large net of vines that trapped some of the Marines.

"Collier STRIKE!" Sanji roared as he kicked several more Marines with a flaming kick to their faces!

"Horn POINT!" Chopper shouted before he shifted into his Horn Point and charged at the Marines, ramming his large antlers at them and throwing them overboard!

"Mil Fleur! Gigantesco Mano…SLAP!" Robin shouted as she grew a giant pair of arms appeared and slapped the Marines off the ship!

"Weapons LEFT!" Franky roared as he fired bullets from his left fist at the Marines!

"_X FANG!"_ Blizzard barked as he sent a pressurized bite in the form of an X, cutting up any Marines and Marine K9s in its path!

"Song of Scratches…BLIZZARD SLICE!" Brook shouted as he cut down the Marines with his freezing blade!

"Take this…Foxfire Style: KYUUBI INFERNO!" Kin'emon roared as he thrust his swords forward, creating a fiery blast that burned the Marines!

Luffy then turned to face Auguste…who smirked at him as he boarded the ship again. The Straw Hat Captain smirked, knowing who his next target was.

"You!" he shouted. "You're mine!"

"Oh?" Auguste asked. "You think you can take me on, Straw Hat?"

"I know I can!" Luffy shouted.

"All right," Auguste said before he pulled off his coat and tossed it aside. "Let's see if you really as strong as the rumors say!"

"You got it!" Luffy shouted before he lunged at Auguste.

XXX

Inside Luffy and Nami's room, Kumi looked up as she he heard the commotion going on, outside. She cringed at the sound of Nami yelling, followed by the sound of a punch landing, and finally, the sound of a Marine letting out a shrill scream.

"_Ouch,"_ Kumi said. _"Whatever Nami did to that guy, it sounds real painful. Huh, Aika?"_

No answer…just the sound of short breaths.

"_Aika?"_ Kumi asked as she turned to look at Aika…who is sitting on the floor, her face flushing red and sweat dripping down her brow.

"Kumi…I…I really don't feel so good, all of a sudden," Aika said…before she collapsed on the floor.

"_AIKA!"_ Kumi cried in shock.

XXX

Back outside, the Straw Hats had dealt with most of the Marine

Luffy is seen, seething in pain as he held his right arm, which had a small river of blood trickling down it. He glared at Auguste…who smirked as the same red fluid dripped from his right index finger.

"Damn you…!" Luffy cursed. "Where'd you learn how to do that?"

"Oh, please," Auguste said. "I'm a Vice-Admiral. A Marine of my rank should've mastered at least ONE of the Six Super Powers. I actually mastered 3 of them, as well as Armaments Haki, of course."

Luffy growled as he charged at the Vice-Admiral again, only for Auguste to dodge him and punch him across the jaw with a Haki-imbued fist!

"BLUGH!" Luffy cried, coughing up blood as he slid across the deck.

"Now then," Auguste said, "it's very late and I'm a very busy man, so if you won't come quietly, then at least let me have the girl. I'm losing my patience."

"Screw you!" Luffy shouted.

"Very well," Auguste said, as he raised his leg. "You leave me no choice."

The Straw Hats prepared to fight back…but that's when they noticed that Franky seemed to be missing.

"Uh…where did Franky go?" Usopp asked.

"Last time I saw him, we went down below deck- oh, wait," Chopper said before he realized what exactly the shipwright was doing.

"Uh…hey, buddy," Luffy said to Auguste. "You might wanna get off the ship, now."

"I'm not moving an inch," Auguste said, defiantly.

"Okay, your funeral," Luffy said before he and the rest of the Straw Hats grabbed onto something, much to Auguste's confusion.

"What are you-" he began, but then…

"Coup de…BURST!"

**BOOM!** The _Thousand Sunny_ rocketed into the air and flew into the sky, causing Auguste to fall off since he was the only one who wasn't holding onto anything!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" the Vice-Admiral screamed before he fell into the water below with a large **SPLASH!**

The Straw Hats laughed at Auguste's defeat.

"See ya, chump!" Luffy called out.

"Wouldn't wanna be ya!" Usopp added.

"It might take a while for them to recuperate," Nami said. "In the meantime, we'll take this time to rest."

"_LUFFY!"_

Luffy looked back and saw Kumi coming outside with a panicked look.

"Kumi?" Luffy asked.

"_There's something wrong with Aika!"_ Kumi cried. _"She…she has a really bad fever all of a sudden!"_

"What?!" Luffy, Chopper, and Blizzard questioned in shock.

XXX

The next morning, Aika is seen lying in the sick bay's bed with a damp cloth over her forehead and Kumi at her side. Aside from some seemingly minor stomach pain, Chopper couldn't seem to find anything else wrong, so he deduced that the possible reason why Aika had suddenly developed a fever last night was because of the encounter with the Marines. He knew about her fear of them, so it was possible that hearing them fight last night, as well as knowing that they were after her, put her in a great deal of stress.

"Just let her rest for a couple of days or so," Chopper advised. "I'm sure she'll come out of it."

Believing in their doctor, the Straw Hats left Aika to rest. Luffy and Nami would occasionally visit her, and even Robin would come see her and read her a story or two to keep her from getting bored. Sometimes, even Momonosuke would come and see her, offering her flowers and poetry (which made Luffy feel slightly protective).

Whenever the Straw Hats didn't see her, Chopper would keep her company by telling Aika of all the adventures he had with Luffy and the gang. When it came time for her checkup, Chopper would try and make it seem less scary by letting her use his medical tools, such as his stethoscope and his reflex hammer.

A couple of days later, Aika seemed to feel a bit better now, so Chopper let her out to go play. Just in time, too. The Straw Hats had arrived at another island, so they decided to stop and see the sights, and maybe get some shopping done, as well.

Law stayed on the _Sunny_ with Jupiter to keep an eye on Caesar, who is still locked in the trunk he put him in (surprisingly still alive) as well as Momonosuke, Kin'emon, Aika, and Kumi.

"_I can't believe we're stuck here on babysitting duty,"_ Jupiter muttered, grumpily.

"Oh, relax, Jupiter," Law said, leaning on the spotted wolf-dog with his arms behind his head. "It could be worse. We're not in a huge hurry, you know."

"_Aren't you worried about Doflamingo not complying with your demands?"_ asked Jupiter. _"It's been days, now! Even I'm kinda nervous about what'll happen."_

"Patience is a virtue, my friend," Law reminded.

"_Yeah, yeah,"_ Jupiter grumbled.

"Traffy?"

Law groaned before he looked and saw Aika walking up to him.

"Yes, kid?" he asked.

"I was wondering," Aika began, "you and Luffy are both pirates, right?"

"Yes," Law answered.

"And you're in an alliance, right?"

"Yes. Is there a point to what you're trying to say?"

"Well…yeah. I was wondering, since you're both pirates and both wanna be the next Pirate King, then how come you're in an alliance? It doesn't make sense."

"_In a way, she's right,"_ Jupiter pointed out.

"Look, kid," Law said. "In a world of pirates, you have to do things out of the ordinary. Besides, I'm not planning on sticking around with Straw Hat for a while, anyway. Once we defeat Kaido, we're going our separate."

"_Amen,"_ Jupiter said. _"I don't know how much longer I can stay on this ship of insanity."_

"Well…can I ask one more question?" Aika asked, causing Law to sigh in irritation.

"What is it?" he asked.

"If Luffy becomes Pirate King, what'll that make you?" Aika asked.

"A monkey's uncle," Law answered, which caused Aika to laugh.

"You're so weird!" the wolf-girl exclaimed.

"You have no idea," Law replied with a slight smirk. "Now why don't you run along and play or something."

Aika shrugged before she ran off to play with Kumi, leaving Law and Jupiter to relax.

"Maybe now, I can get some peace and quiet," Law muttered to himself before he found himself suddenly drifting off into slumber, along with Jupiter. However, it appeared his sleep didn't last long, for he suddenly heard a cry of pain, causing him and his canine to awaken.

"What the hell?!" Law questioned. "Who's screaming?!"

"_Traffy!"_ Kumi cried. _"Come quick! Something's wrong with Aika! She just collapsed, again!"_

"Again?!" Law repeated before he ran to Aika's location: the library, where she and Momonosuke were playing Koi-Koi again. There, he found Aika lying on the floor, her arms wrapped around her stomach, whimpering and trying to fight back tears.

"Hey! Hey, kid!" Law called. "You okay?!"

"My…my tummy really hurts all of a sudden!" Aika said.

Law gasped silently.

"Let me look under your shirt!" he ordered.

Aika seemed reluctant at first, but then, the 6-year-old raised her shirt up slightly…revealing a swollen, red bruise.

"Dammit, I knew it!" he cursed before he took Aika into his arms and ran to the sick bay with Jupiter following him.

"_Hey, Law!"_ Jupiter called. _"Mind filling me in on what's wrong?!"_

"No time to talk!" Law shouted as he put Aika on the sick bay bed. "I gotta get this girl ready for surgery!"

"_Wait, WHAT?!"_ Jupiter questioned.

XXX

Later that day, the Straw Hats had returned to the ship.

"_Sunny_, sweet _Sunny!_" Luffy exclaimed, carrying a backpack full of meat.

"It's awfully quiet," Nami said. "Where are Kin'emon and Momonosuke?"

"And Aika and Kumi?" Robin added.

At that moment, Kumi came outside, looking worried.

"_Guys!"_ she cried.

"Kumi, what's wrong?" Chopper asked.

"_Traffy…he's in the sick bay…CUTTING AIKA OPEN!"_ Kumi shouted.

"WHAT?!" Chopper questioned. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'LAW'S CUTTING AIKA OPEN'?!"

"WHAT?!" the rest of the Straw Hats questioned.

"Oh, HELL NO!" Luffy shouted before he ran to the kitchen, where he found Jupiter, sitting by the door.

"_Oh…hi, Straw Hat,"_ Jupiter greeted, nonchalantly.

"Juppy!" Luffy shouted. "Where's Traffy?!"

"_In the sick bay,"_ Jupiter answered. _"Don't be so damn loud. He's just finishing the surgery."_

"Let me in there, RIGHT NOW!" Luffy shouted.

"Me, too!" added Chopper, who stormed in in his Heavy Point form. "How dare he cut open an innocent little girl!"

"_Calm down, dammit! It's not what you think!"_ Jupiter shouted. _"He's busy saving her life! She has appendicitis!"_

Hearing this caused Chopper and Luffy to gasp.

"…Wait, what's that?" Luffy asked.

"Appendicitis?" Chopper repeated as he shrank back into his Brain Point form.

"_Yeah,"_ Jupiter answered. _"If you don't believe me, ask Law."_

Speak of the devil, Law came out the door, wearing a mask and a pair of bloody rubber gloves. He sighed as he took off the mask and wiped off the sweat from his brow.

"Man…that thing was in there," Law said.

"Law!" Chopper said as the rest of the Straw Hats entered.

"Hey! You have a lot to answer for, Mister!" Nami barked. "What were you doing in there?!"

"If Aika's dead, I swear I'll-" Sanji began, but Law cut him off…by holding up a jar filled with some strange fluid…and a strange object inside.

"What…is that thing?" Zoro asked.

"Ooh, can I eat it?" Luffy asked before Law smacked his hand away. "OW!"

"You don't eat an inflamed appendix, you dumb-ass!" Law shouted. "She's lucky I managed to take this out. What you thought was stress was actually the beginning of appendicitis."

"Law…you saved her life," Chopper said. "Thank you."

"I didn't do what I did to be thanked," Law replied. "I just…knew you guys would be upset if something happened to her."

"Can we go see her?" Luffy asked.

"She's asleep, right now," Law answered. "She'll be awake as soon as the anesthesia wears off…which should be in about 2 hours. You can see her then."

"Thank you Law," Robin said.

"Like I said," Law began, "I didn't do what I did to be thanked."

With that, he and Jupiter walked out…but Chopper seemed to smile at them before he followed him.

"_Hey, Law,"_ Jupiter said. _"I know you don't really like to save patients to be thanked and all, but…was there another reason why you helped Aika out?"_

"No," Law answered. "The Straw Hats like her, and I knew they'd be upset if something happened, so…that's all."

"I think it's more than that."

Law looked back and saw Chopper approach him with a wry smile.

"I think she's grown on you, too, hasn't she?" Chopper asked.

Law sneered before he looked away.

"Don't be ridiculous," he said. "I hate children."

"It's okay if you like her," Chopper said. "She's grown on me, too…as well as the rest of us."

Law sighed at this.

"Whatever," he muttered. "Believe what you want to believe."

Chopper grinned and chuckled at this.

A few hours later, Aika awoke feeling much better, and the first thing she did when she woke up was give Law a kiss on his cheek (he was seen blushing for quite some time, afterwards), and then give Chopper a big, tight hug, which almost strangled him had Luffy not pulled the little reindeer out of her arms.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

Review, please!


	6. Cooking Things Up

**Ch. 6- Cooking Things Up**

* * *

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard, Aika, Kumi, and Jupiter © Me

* * *

The following day, Aika had recovered from her surgery. Chopper gave her a checkup, just to make sure there were no other complications. After that, she was clear to run around and play as much as she wanted.

Right now, Aika is with Luffy, sitting in his lap while the Straw Hat Captain sat in his favorite spot: the figurehead.

Aika hummed contentedly as she felt the salty ocean breeze waft over her face and hair.

"The wind from the sea feels so nice," she said.

"It does, huh?" Luffy asked. "This is something us pirates live for!"

"Luffy…is being a pirate really all that great?" Aika asked.

"Oh, totally!" Luffy replied. "I mean, it's probably the greatest gig ever! You get to live as free as you wanna live, and no one can tell you what to do!"

"Hmm…" Aika hummed. "Well…what about your home?"

"The _Sunny's_ our home," Luffy answered, "as well as the sea."

"I see," Aika said as she looked back at the horizon.

"Plus, every island you end up at, there's always something new!" Luffy added. "New towns, new people, new food-"

**Guuuurrrggh…grrrmmmbbgh…urrrgh…!**

Luffy chuckled and patted his growling stomach, and Aika giggled as well.

"Speaking of food," he began, "I wonder if Sanji's done with lunch."

**Grrruuuuuurrgghh…!**

Aika gasped as she put her hands on her tummy, her face flushing pink.

"Oops," she whispered, and Luffy just laughed.

"You're hungry, too, huh?" he asked.

"Yeah," Aika answered.

"Maybe we should check and see if Sanji's done yet," Luffy suggested before he picked Aika and placed her on his shoulders. "Ready?"

"Yep!" Aika chirped, and Luffy got down from the figurehead and headed to the kitchen, where Sanji is busy making lunch: lobster spaghetti with tomato sauce and dinner rolls on the side.

"Yo, Sanji!" Luffy said as he and Aika entered, the former remembering to duck down so the latter wouldn't hit her head on the doorway. "Is lunch ready yet?"

"It won't be if you keep coming in and asking every five minutes, you glutton!" Sanji barked. "I just started like ten minutes ago! My god!"

"Jeez, relax!" Luffy said. "I'm only asking."

"That smells really good, Mister Sanji," Aika said.

"Why thank you, Aika!" Sanji said. "It should be ready in about 25 minutes."

"Well…can I have a snack to hold me over?" Aika asked.

"Sure you can," Sanji answered as went over to a cookie jar and pulled out a chocolate chip cookie. Seeing it caused Aika to gasp in delight before morphing into her wolf form and howl happily.

"Cookie, cookie, cookie~!" she exclaimed.

Sanji chuckled as he handed Aika the cookie, which she began to munch with great enthusiasm.

"Wow," Sanji said. "You like cookies as much as Luffy likes meat."

"They're my favorite food!" Aika answered as she ate the cookie.

"Shishishishi!" Luffy laughed, but then he stopped and glared at Sanji. "Hey, wait! How come whenever I ask for cookies, you don't give me any?!"

"Because you always eat more than one!" Sanji barked. "The next thing I know, I'm mopping your vomit off the kitchen floor!"

Luffy pouted at this while Aika finished her little treat.

"Are there any more cookies?" Aika asked.

"Aw, sorry Aika, sweetie," Sanji answered. "That cookie you ate was the last one in the jar."

"Aww~!" Aika whined. "No fair!"

"But I have plenty of ingredients," Sanji said. "If you want, we can make cookies after lunch."

"Really?!" Aika asked, excitedly.

"Of course!" Sanji replied.

"Yay!" Aika cheered, causing Luffy and Sanji to laugh.

XXX

Lunch was lively, as always. Luffy always finished his food first and then tried to snatch away food from everyone else (Law and Kin'emon being two of those unfortunate victims). Nami kept Luffy distracted by sneaking him some of her food. Even Caesar got to eat a little bit, but all he got was bread and a glass of water. When he tried to complain, all that got him was a kick to the face by Sanji.

Aika absolutely loved Sanji's cooking. In fact, she actually ate about half as much as Luffy had eaten. However, it didn't seem to be a surprise for everyone else, considering the fact that the girl is his half-sister (even though neither of them knew it yet). In fact…they actually found it rather adorable, especially since she had more manners than Luffy, who always belched loudly and messily ate his food.

After cleaning up the dishes with Aika's help, Sanji decided to make due on his promise and bake cookies for Aika.

"It doesn't matter what kind," Aika told him, "as long as it's not Oatmeal Raisin. Yuck!"

"I know what you mean," Sanji said. "I don't like them, either."

They decided on making sugar cookies, since Aika seemed to like them the best. So, as he set the oven to heat at 375 degrees, Sanji got out the ingredients: flour, sugar, milk (low-fat), butter (unsalted), vanilla flavoring, and baking soda. He also got out some white cream icing and some food coloring.

"Okay, Aika," Sanji said. "First, we put the ingredients in the bowl. First, the flour. About…4 cups should do."

"Okay!" Aika said before she put exactly 4 cups of flour into the bowl.

"Now add 2-and-a-half cups of sugar," Sanji said, and Aika did just that.

"Then the baking soda, right?" Aika asked, holding up a teaspoonful of baking soda.

"That's right," Sanji said. "That makes the cookie dough all puffy.

Aika nodded before she put the baking soda in the bowl.

"Now add eggs, butter, and milk," Sanji said as he cracked 3 eggs and put the yolks in the bowl. "And finally, the vanilla flavoring."

Upon adding the last of the ingredients, Sanji started mixing the contents of the bowl.

"Do we start baking the cookies, yet?" Aika asked.

"Not yet," Sanji replied. "We have to wait for the dough to rise, first."

"How long will that take?" Aika asked.

"Not long," Sanji answered. "We can play a game or something to pass the time."

"Okay!" Aika said.

So, they played a little game of patty-cake until the dough was ready, which took about 20 minutes. Afterwards, Sanji took the dough out of the bowl and kneaded it.

"Aika, can you please reach into that drawer right there and get the rolling pin out for me?" Sanji asked.

Aika nodded before she reached into the drawer and got a 13-inch rolling pin.

"Thank you, sweetheart," Sanji praised as he began to roll the dough flat.

"What next?" Aika asked.

"You know what I like to do?" Sanji asked as he reached into another drawer and pulled out some cookie cutters: a star cookie cutter, a skull-and-bones cookie cutter, a flower cookie cutter, and a butterfly cookie cutter. "When I was your age, I used to take some cookie cutters and make little shapes in the cookie dough. You wanna try it?"

"Yeah!" Aika answered, eagerly.

So, they made about 14 cookies: 5 butterfly shapes, 4 shaped like the skull-and-bones, 2 shaped like flowers, and 3 shaped like stars.

"And now we put the cookies in the oven," Sanji said as he did just that.

"How much longer until they're ready?" Aika asked.

"Shouldn't take too much longer, now," Sanji answered. "About 30 minutes or so. Why don't you go play with Kumi in the meantime?"

"Okay!" Aika said before she turned into her wolf form and ran outside, where she found Kumi waiting for her.

"_There you are!"_ Kumi said. _"You've been in there for a while! What have you been doing?"_

"Making cookies!" Aika answered.

"_Cookies, huh?"_ Kumi asked. _"You gonna share them when they're done?"_

"Wait…share them?" Aika asked, confused.

"_Well, yeah,"_ Kumi answered. _"Cookies are good, but they're not really as sweet if you don't share them with friends."_

Aika blinked at Kumi in surprise before she looked down, thoughtfully. Back on Wolf Paw Island, Aika always ate the cookies and she didn't really share them with others. Of course, her mother was an exception, but she mostly kept the cookies to herself.

If what Kumi said is true…then maybe it wouldn't hurt to share them, just this once.

"Hey, Aika! Kumi!"

Aika looked and saw Luffy, Usopp, Chopper, and Blizzard; the first was holding a Frisbee in his hand.

"Wanna play?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah!" Aika answered before she and Kumi ran to the group to play. Sanji watched from the kitchen doorway, chuckling warmly before he went back inside.

"Cute kid," Sanji said as he sat at the table and took a smoke. "Aside from her appetite…she doesn't really act much like her brother. She's polite and sweet and innocent. She acts shy a little, but she's also starting to come out of her shell a little more."

He looked up at the ceiling with a smile.

"She'll grow up to be a great young lady," he said.

XXX

"Aika! Cookies are done!" Sanji called from the kitchen.

Aika, who is in her wolf form, holding the Frisbee in her mouth, looked up upon hearing Sanji calling her before she ran to the kitchen.

"Yay!" Aika cheered. "Cookies are ready!"

"What do you say we put some icing on them?" Sanji asked. "Would you like that?"

"Yes!" Aika answered. "Oh, and Sanji?"

"Hmm?" Sanji hummed.

"I know I like cookies…but…is it okay if I share them with the others?" Aika asked.

Sanji looked at Aika in surprise, but then he smiled and gently pet her head.

"Of course we can, Little Wolf," he said.

Aika smiled and licked Sanji's face, making him laugh.

"How about we serve them after dinner?" Sanji asked.

"That's perfect!" Aika answered. "Cookies are a great dessert!"

"My thoughts exactly," Sanji smiled.

XXX

Later that night, after dinner, everyone is sitting at the table, having finished their meal.

"Ahhh…!" Luffy sighed, patting his overstuffed stomach. "That was good."

"Another satisfying meal, Sanji-_dono_!" Kin'emon praised.

"Yeah," Usopp agreed. "I ate so much, I don't think I could eat another bite."

"Is that right?" Sanji asked as he set down…a platter of colorful sugar cookies. "I guess you don't have room for the cookies Aika and I baked."

"Cookies?!" Chopper asked, excitedly.

"I didn't know you and Aika made cookies!" Nami said.

"All right!" Luffy cheered as he reached for a skull-and-bones shaped cookie and took a bite. "Mm…mmmm! This is really good!"

Nami took one shaped like a flower and took a bite as well.

"Mm…these ARE good!" she said.

Aika giggled and blushed at the compliments.

"Thank you," she said. "Sanji did most of the work though."

Robin chuckled as she pet Aika on the head while eating a flower-shaped cookie as well.

"SUPER good cookies, Bro Sanji and Little Sis!" Franky exclaimed, eating a star-shaped cookie, as well.

"Sure is!" Usopp said, eating a butterfly cookie. "You and Aika did a pretty good job, Sanji!"

"Yum-yum!" Chopper exclaimed, having stuffed a star cookie in his mouth.

"Yohohohoho!" Brook laughed as he ate a skull-and-bones cookie. "My taste buds are dancing! Although I have no taste buds."

"Not bad," Zoro said as he took a bite out of a star cookie, too.

Kumi and Blizzard are also enjoying a cookie: one butterfly cookie and one skull-and-bones cookie.

"Hey, Traffy! You and Juppy have one!" Luffy said.

"I don't eat sweets," Law said with Jupiter snorting in agreement.

"Suit yourself," Luffy said. "More for me!"

Just when he was about to get another cookie, Nami smacked his hand away.

"No!" the navigator. "Bad Luffy! No more cookies for you!"

"But Nami~!" Luffy whined.

Kin'emon and Momonosuke each had a cookie, both butterflies, as well.

"Such a delicious treat!" Kin'emon said. "I've never tasted such a delicacy!"

"It's almost like a flat, crunchy Manjuu bun!" said Momonosuke.

Only 2 cookies remained: one shaped like a butterfly and one shaped like a skull-and-bones.

Aika smiled before she took both cookies…and handed the last skull-and-bones one to Sanji.

"Here you go, Sanji," Aika said as she gave the cookie to the chef, who smiled before he took her hand…and kissed it.

"Thank you…mademoiselle," Sanji said. "You are the sweeter than any cookie."

Hearing this caused Aika to giggle like…well, a giddy little school girl.

"Kumi was right!" Aika said. "Cookies are sweeter when you share them with friends!"

"Awwwww~!" everyone except Zoro, Law, and Jupiter swooned.

"That is SO sweet!" Nami added.

"Literally! Shishishi!" Luffy laughed.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

Don't blame me if you get diabetes because of this.

Review, please!


	7. Liar, Liar

**Ch. 7- Liar, Liar**

* * *

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard, Aika, Kumi, and Jupiter © Me

* * *

The following day, the Straw Hats are busy doing their normal routine. Luffy is fishing with Chopper and Blizzard (who is using his tail as a fishing rod by tying a string at the end of his tail), Zoro is busy training, as well as Kin'emon and Momonosuke, Brook is tuning his violin, Sanji is in the kitchen, checking the food stock, Nami is in the library with Robin, drawing another map, and Franky is busy steering the ship. As for Law, he is still keeping a lookout for a "certain article" in the newspaper, and so far, nothing yet.

And what was Usopp doing, one might ask? Well, he is currently regaling Aika and Kumi with his "tales of heroism".

"And then, with one fatal punch, I had smite the great beast!" Usopp exclaimed.

"No way!" Aika said, amazed. "You took down a Sea King with one punch?!"

"'A Sea King'?!" Usopp repeated. "HA! Why, Aika, I took down so many Sea Kings, Marines, and rival pirates, that I lost count!"

"WOW~!" Aika cheered with starry eyes. "Usopp, you're so cool!"

"W-well, of course, I am!" Usopp said. "I am the Great Captain Usopp! I fear nothing! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Blizzard groaned and rolled his eyes.

"_Listen to him, lying through his teeth,"_ he said. _"Some things never change."_

"Oh, c'mon, Blizzard," Luffy said. "Cut Usopp some slack! He means well!"

"_I know that, Luffy,"_ Blizzard said. _"I'm not afraid of that. I'm afraid of what Aika will think of him when she finds out that his stories are just make-believe."_

"Did I ever tell you about the time I took on 50,000 Fishmen?" Usopp asked.

"50,000?!" Aika questioned. "NO WAY!"

"Way!" Usopp answered. "I was surrounded with no way to escape, but I wasn't scared! I just whipped out my trusty and Black Kabuto and said, 'You fools will all make the mistake of incurring my wrath'! Then, I sniped them all out, one-by-one, using my Pop Greens!"

"AMAZING~!" Aika cheered.

Kumi howled in agreement.

As Usopp continued to tell his tall tales, Luffy suddenly felt something tugging on his line.

"Oh!" Luffy cried. "I got a bite!"

"Reel it in! Reel it in!" Chopper exclaimed.

Luffy grunted as he began to reel in his line, but whatever was on the other end must've been huge, for it nearly pulled him into the sea had Blizzard not been there to hold him!

"_WHOA!"_ Blizzard cried as he bit down on the back of his shirt. _"You okay?!"_

"Yeah!" Luffy said. "Help me reel this sucker in, huh?!"

"Right!" Chopper said before he morphed into his Heavy Point form and grabbed Blizzard from behind, who pulled Luffy, who growled as he tried to reel in his catch. However, as they began pull…something huge emerged from the water, towering over the _Sunny_.

It is revealed to be…a giant, snake-like Sea King with the snout of a crocodile and a frill around its neck!

"WHOA~!" Luffy exclaimed. "IT'S HUGE~!"

"_HOLY CRAP!"_ Blizzard cursed in shock.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Chopper screamed, his hat and antlers comically popping off of his head and his eyes bulging out.

Soon, everyone else except Zoro came outside, as well.

"What in the world?!" Nami questioned. "Another Sea King?!"

"Well…I guess I know what I'm making dinner tonight," Sanji said.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Brook screamed.

Aika and Kumi also gasped upon seeing the Sea King, as well, but then they grinned.

"No big deal!" Aika said. "Usopp will protect us! Right, Usopp?!"

No answer.

"U…Usopp?" Aika asked before she looked up at the sniper…who is shaking in his boots as he stared at the Sea King. "Usopp…what's wrong?"

A pause, but then, the Sea King roared, revealing rows of sharp teeth, and not long after, Usopp let out a blood-curdling scream!

"IT'S GONNA EAT US ALL!" he cried before he ran and took cover behind a barrel.

"U-Usopp, wait!" Aika cried. "I thought you were gonna fight the Sea King!"

"Are you crazy?!" Usopp questioned as he cowered behind the barrel. "I'm not suicidal!"

Aika gasped silently as she watched Usopp hide, but she was distracted…she didn't noticed the giant Sea King about to lunge at her!

"_AIKA! INCOMING! RUN!"_ Kumi cried as she ran away.

"Huh?" Aika asked before she turned around and saw the beast about to swallow her whole, but by the time she saw it, there was no time to run, so all she could do was scream…until…

"HA!" Luffy cried as he jumped in between them and caught the beast by the jaws, forcing it open. "Now I've gotcha!"

The Sea King let out distressed roars as it struggled to get out of Luffy's grasp.

"You ought to learn to pick on someone your own size!" Luffy smirked before he reeled a Haki-imbued fist back and punched the Sea King in the jaw!

Aika gasped in shock at this while Zoro came down from the crow's nest to see what all the commotion was about.

"What the hell is going on?!" Zoro questioned. "I'm busy!"

"Oh, Zoro! Just in time!" Luffy said. "I need you to take care of this Sea King!"

Zoro looked up at the Sea King before he sighed.

"Fine," he said as he drew _Wado Ichimonji_. "Sea King meat always tastes good with booze, anyway. One-Sword Style: Draw and Sheath Technique…LION'S STRIKE OF DEATH!"

**SLICE!** With one fell swing, Zoro sliced the Sea King's head right off, its body hitting the water with a tremendous splash!

Aika stared in awe at Luffy and Zoro's strength…but then she looked over at Usopp, who still hid behind the barrel.

"I…is it over?" Usopp asked.

"…Yeah, Usopp," Aika answered…her voice thick with disappointment. "It's over. Zoro killed the Sea King."

Usopp looked at Aika, who stared at him sadly, and Kumi looked at him with the same expression.

"Usopp…I thought you said you fought with Sea Kings before," Aika said. "So…why did you run away and hide?"

Upon hearing that…Usopp felt his heart sink…before he sighed.

"…Because…it's not true," Usopp said. "I made it up, okay? I…I lied."

Aika blinked at Usopp, who looked down at her with a guilty expression.

"Aika…please, don't be mad at me-" he started.

"Nobody said I was mad," Aika said before she and Kumi turned. "I'm just…disappointed that you didn't tell the truth."

"No, Aika, wait!" Usopp cried. "I can explain!"

But his pleas fell on deaf ears. Usopp sighed and shook his head before he turned and walked away himself.

"Dammit," he cursed. "I didn't think she'd find out about me so quickly."

XXX

Later that day, as the sun began to set behind the sea, Luffy walked up to Usopp, who is sitting at the helm of the ship, looking forlorn and distant. The reason being was that Aika did not speak to him for the remainder of the day.

"Hey, Usopp," Luffy said. "Sanji saved you some dinner. You okay?"

"I'm just fine, Luffy," Usopp answered. "I'm just a bit…I dunno…upset, for lack of better word."

"Because of Aika, right?" Luffy asked.

"…Luffy," Usopp began, "I…I didn't mean to tell all those lies about me to her, but…I felt like maybe, if she didn't figure out who I really am…she wouldn't think I was lame."

"You're not lame," Luffy answered. "You're probably one of the coolest guys I know! I mean…you sniped out those guys back on Punk Hazard, and you managed to Caesar from escaping! If that's not cool, I don't know what is!"

"Yeah," Usopp said, "but Luffy…I'm not good at facing enemies up front! Even after 2 years, after I gained all this muscle…I'm still the same lying coward I was before and I'll probably never change."

"…Only if you believe that, Usopp," Luffy said. "THEN you'll never change."

With that, Luffy walked away while Usopp just stared out towards the horizon, thinking about what his captain had said.

"'Only if I believe it', huh?" Usopp repeated before he sighed.

XXX

The next morning, the Straw Hats had once again docked at an island, and like some of the others they had stopped by, this one had a small town, as well. Having no need to stop for supplies due to the Sea King meat they had stored yesterday, the Straw Hats just decided to take a bit a day off and explore the island. Zoro stayed behind with Law, Jupiter, Kin'emon, and Momonosuke to watch the ship while the others went off to go and do their own thing.

Aika and Kumi had gone with Usopp simply because they were Nami's orders. However, it appeared that the sniper was doing his best to avoid them, or at least ignore them.

It wasn't easy, since Aika and Kumi seemed to be following him everywhere.

After they got to the pranks shop, Usopp decided he had enough and finally turned to face the two youngsters.

"All right, Aika, what?!" Usopp questioned. "Why are you following me?! What do you want?!"

Aika froze for a moment…but then Usopp sighed.

"Look, I'm sorry for yelling," Usopp said. "It's just…I don't know why you're following me! You already I'm a liar! What else do you want?!"

"…Maybe an apology for lying?" Aika asked. "My Mommy says that lies can only lead to trouble."

"Ugh…don't I know it?" Usopp asked under his breath.

"Like I said before," Aika said. "I'm not mad at you, Usopp. I still like you. I'll always like you…I just wish you didn't lie so much."

"Aika…!" Usopp muttered in surprise.

"I think Kumi and I are just gonna go back to the ship, now," Aika said. "Thanks for hearing me out at least, Usopp."

With that, Aika turned to leave with Kumi following behind her. Usopp reached out after them, as if to stop them, but as he did…a pair of arms suddenly appeared around the corner and grabbed Aika!

"AAH!" Aika screamed before she turned and saw several Marine soldiers, one of which is holding her by her arms.

"Got her!" said one of them before he held up a Mini Transponder Snail. "Vice-Admiral Auguste! We've captured the girl!"

"**Excellent,"** said Auguste on the other line. **"Return to the ship, immediately!"**

"Yes, sir!" said the soldier.

**ARF! ARF-ARF!** Kumi barked at the Marines as she tried to attack, but one of them kicked her away before she could do anything about it.

"Kumi!" Aika cried before she looked over at Usopp, who stood there in shock. "Usopp! Do something!"

Usopp gasped before he looked around, hoping- no, _praying_, that Luffy or one of the Monster Quartet was around to help, but as far as he knew, he was the only one here…the only one who could help Aika!

'_W…what am I gonna do?!'_ he thought. _'I…I know I'm scared…but…I can't let the Marines take her!'_

Aika struggled to get away from the Marines as they continued to drag her away. She even turned into a wolf and bit one of their fingers. It did work, but only for a moment, for one of them grabbed her and tied a rope around it!

"This ought to shut you up for a while, you little brat!" the Marine soldier shouted before he proceeded to take her away, and Aika could only call Usopp's name through her now muzzled mouth.

Kumi gasped in shock before she looked at Usopp, who just stood watching…when finally…the sniper gasped and ran after the Marines!

"PUT HER DOWN~!" Usopp roared as he pulled out his Black Kabuto and fired a Pop Green, which unleashed a Bamboo Javelin that sent the soldiers flying through the air!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" they screamed as the one who held Aika accidentally let her go, causing her to fall towards the ground.

"Whoa!" Usopp cried before he fired another Pop Green, which unleashed a Trampolia plant, which she landed on safely. Once she did, she managed to untie the rope around her mouth and gasped for air.

"You okay, Aika?!" Usopp questioned.

"Usopp!" Aika cheered before she jumped into his arms, much to his surprise. "You saved me!"

"Uh…yeah, well I-" Usopp started.

"GET HIM!"

Usopp gasped once he saw the Marines charging at him with their weapons brandished.

"TIME TO GO!" the sniper cried before he grabbed Kumi and made a run for it, but the Marines are in hot pursuit!

"Usopp, what do we do now?!" Aika questioned.

"Uh…I'm thinking!" Usopp replied. "Just gimme a minute!"

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAARRGGH!" the Marines roared as they lunged at Usopp, Aika, and Kumi, who all screamed, but then, out of nowhere, who else should appear but Luffy…who, for some reason, had a fishbone in his mouth.

"Luffy?!" Usopp questioned.

A pause…but then, Luffy looked up at the Marines before he expanded his pupil, unleashing a burst of Conqueror's Haki, which caused the Marines to pass out on the ground!

"Whoa…!" Aika whispered in awe.

"You guys all right?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah!" Usopp answered. "Thanks, Luffy!"

"You can thank me when we get back to the ship!" Luffy replied.

"Right! Let's go!" Usopp agreed before he and Luffy ran back to the _Sunny_. As they did, Auguste's voice was heard on the Mini Transponder Snail, calling to his men.

"**Hello? Hello?! What's going on over there?! Hello?! Hey! Someone answer me! Did you capture the girl or not?! HELLO?! …Dammit!"**

XXX

Auguste is sitting at his desk on his battleship, seething angrily to himself as he hung up his Transponder Snail.

"I am starting to lose my patience," he hissed. "Really…how hard is it to capture a stupid little girl?!"

XXX

Later that day, on the _Sunny_, Usopp is seen watching the sunset as he sat the helm again. However, this time, he wasn't alone.

Aika, now in her human form, sat next to him, munching on a cookie.

"…Thank you, Usopp," Aika said.

"Huh?" Usopp muttered.

"For saving me," Aika answered. "Thank you."

"Oh," Usopp said. "Uh…it was nothing."

A pause came…but then Usopp sighed.

"Aika, I'm sorry I lied to you," Usopp said. "I just made up those stories because…I just wanted you to think that I wasn't a coward. I was afraid you wouldn't like me for who I am."

"Why would you think that?" Aika asked.

"Well," Usopp began, "the thing is…I'm afraid that no matter how hard I try, I'll never be able to keep up with Luffy and Zoro and everyone else. In fact…I actually left the crew because of that."

Aika gasped silently at this.

"Remember when I told you about our first ship, the _Going Merry_? Well…I was afraid I would end up…like her."

"Like her?"

"Broken down…useless…cast aside by the people who have brought them so far…in other words…I just felt weak."

"Usopp…"

"Luffy and I got into this really bad fight about it, too. I knew I never stood a chance, but…we were both men, and men are bound by their word. So…after I lost, I was captured by Franky, who back then, wasn't on our side. Then, after that, I got captured again by some Government goons called CP9...and it turns out I wasn't the only one: Franky got captured and…so did Robin. Robin was in more danger than we were: she was actually getting ready to die for all of us."

Aika gasped again.

"And even though I said I wasn't a part of the crew anymore…I had to help Robin because she's my friend! So…I went to this place called Enies Lobby with Luffy and the others. I was scared outta my mind. That place had more Marines and Government agents that I'd ever seen in my whole life! Giants, dogs, people that could turn into animals like you…it was terrifying! But I didn't run…I stayed because I knew the others needed me. We Straw Hats have a saying: 'You do what I can't do, and I do what you can't do'."

"Wow…!" Aika whispered in awe.

"So…we got Robin back, but there was nowhere else for us to go," Usopp said, "until…out of nowhere, we heard a voice, calling out to us!"

"A voice?" Aika repeated.

"Yeah," Usopp answered. "'I've come to take you back!' it said. It was…the _Merry_. I don't know how she managed to find us or how she even managed to get to Enies Lobby…but we didn't care. We were happy to see her! But then…as soon as we finally got outta there…it happened. _Merry_ broke down in the middle of the sea. She had taken so much damage…we had no choice but to put her out of her misery."

Aika stared up at Usopp, who sniffled as tears formed in his eyes.

"We gave her a Viking Funeral and saw her off," he went on, "and as she was burning away…we heard her apologizing to us for not being strong enough…but she thanked us, too…because we treated her so well! We treated her like family!"

"…Is this all true?" Aika asked.

"Yes, Aika," Usopp replied. "Every word."

"…Usopp," Aika said, "what if I told you…I heard a voice on the _Mini Merry_?"

"A voice?" Usopp repeated.

"Yeah," Aika answered. "It said, 'Welcome to the crew…!'"

A pause…but then Usopp smiled.

"…I guess that was _Merry's_ way of welcoming you to our crew," he said before he frowned, "but anyway…now you who I really am, Aika…so…I'm not brave at all."

"What do you mean?" Aika asked. "Yes, you are."

Usopp gasped silently before he looked at Aika, who smiled at him.

"R-really?" he asked in surprise.

"Mm-hmm!" Aika nodded. "Even though you were scared, you went to save Miss Robin! Not just that, but you saved me, too! Not to mention when you took down those bad guys and caught Caesar! That's really brave, too!"

"…Yeah," Usopp smiled. "Yeah! I guess it is pretty brave of me!"

"And Usopp?" Aika asked.

"Huh?" Usopp muttered.

"You didn't have to make up stories to get me to think you were cool," Aika said before she hugged him. "I always thought you were cool!"

Usopp's eyes widened, but then he chewed his lip and sniffled.

"Usopp?" Aika asked. "Are you okay?"

"…Yeah," Usopp said as he wiped his tears and hugged Aika. "Thanks, Aika. I think you're pretty cool, too."

"Shishishi!" Aika laughed.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

Review, please!


	8. A Girls' Day Out

**Ch. 8- A Girls' Day Out**

* * *

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard, Aika, Kumi, and Jupiter © Me

* * *

"Ugghhh…my tummy~!

"Well, what did you think would happen after you ate all those honeyed peaches?!"

"I thought it wouldn't count!"

"News flash, Luffy! Honey is sweet! Therefore, you can get sick from eating too much of that, too!"

Luffy moaned as he wrapped his arms around his stomach, which groaned painfully as Nami tucked him in bed before she put down a bottle of ginger ale and a cup on the nightstand. What happened was that he was hungry for a snack, but Sanji wouldn't make him anything. So, Luffy went down to the storage room and found a barrelful of honeyed peaches.

One could pretty much imagine what happened next.

"Just try and rest, okay?" Nami asked. "You should feel better in a couple of hours."

"Okay," Luffy said.

Nami smiled and rubbed Luffy's stomach, tenderly.

"I love you, Gummy Monkey," she said before she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"I love you, too, Nami," Luffy said before he heaved a sigh and began to drift off into slumber.

Nami smiled at her beau before she quietly left the room and closed the door. Not long after she did so, she turned and saw Aika, standing there with a sweet smile. Nami gasped, not expecting the girl to be there, but smiled nonetheless.

"Hi, Aika," the navigator greeted her.

"Hi, Nami," Aika said. "Can Luffy come play with Kumi and me?"

"Oh, Aika, I'm sorry, sweetie," Nami apologized. "Luffy's got a tummy ache, so he's resting in bed, right now."

"Oh," Aika muttered. "Well…when will he better?"

"As soon as he wakes up," Nami answered. "It might take a while though."

"Oh," Aika muttered.

Nami looked Aika over and noticed the dress she is wearing: a yellow dress that said "NEKO" in big purple letters and an orange cat's face: a hand-me-down from when she was 8. That's when Nami realized that Aika had been wearing the same dress for the past few days.

"You know, Aika, I just realized," Nami began, "you don't have any clothes of your own, huh?"

"Not really," Aika said. "I had all my own clothes…but that was before my island was destroyed."

"…Oh…right," Nami muttered. "Sorry about that, Aika."

"It's okay," Aika said.

Just then, Nami lit up and grinned.

"Hey…you know what we could do?" she asked. "Have a girl's day out!"

"A girl's day out?" Aika repeated.

"Yeah!" Nami answered. "We can go clothes shopping, maybe spend a day at the spa…it'll be fun!"

"Can Kumi come too?" Aika asked.

"Of course, Kumi can come too!" Nami said.

"Well…okay!" Aika chirped.

"Great! I'll go get my purse and then we can go!" Nami said.

"Yay!" Aika cheered. "I'll go get Kumi!"

With that, the wolf-girl excitedly headed back upstairs while Nami went back into hers and Luffy's room to get her purse, remembering to be quiet so that Luffy could sleep.

XXX

Later on, Nami, Aika, and Kumi are walking through a shopping mall.

"Okay," Nami said. "First thing's first: let's see if we can't find a boutique with some cute clothes for you to wear. Maybe we'll also find a collar for Kumi!"

Kumi barked in agreement at this.

"Ooh! Let's try this one!" Aika said, pointing to a clothes store.

"Oh, good idea!" Nami said as they entered the store. However, as they did…they didn't notice a Marine soldier nearby, watching them.

"Vice-Admiral Auguste," he said into a Mini Transponder Snail. "Target has been located. It looks like they're entering a clothing store."

"**Ah, I see,"** Auguste said. **"Having a little girls' day out, are they?"**

"Should I proceed with the capture?" asked the Marine.

"…**No."**

"Uh…sir?"

"**Let them have their fun. It's rude to interrupt a lady when she's enjoying her good time, you know."**

"Uh…I suppose so, sir."

XXX

"Come on out, Aika! Let me see it!"

"Uh…you're not gonna laugh, right?"

"Of course not! I bet you'd look SO adorable!"

"Okay…if you say so."

Soon, Aika came out of the fitting room, and Nami gasped silently before squealing in delight.

The 6-year-old girl is now wearing a sky blue tank top (size small), a magenta skirt with a cherry blossom print on it, and a pair of black shoes on her feet.

"So…do you like it?" Aika asked, shyly.

"Like it?" Nami repeated. "I love it! It's so cute on you!"

Aika smiled with a blush appearing on her face, and Nami went over and hugged her.

"Thanks, Nami," she said.

"Now, why don't we go and find something for me to wear, and then we can find something for Kumi, next," Nami said.

"Okay!" Aika said.

And so, Nami and Aika proceeded with their little shopping spree. They went around the store, trying out tops and skirts and even sunglasses shaped like stars and hearts, the latter being Aika's favorite, and they would go to mirror and flaunt their new clothes and accessories before bursting into laughter at how much fun they would have. They even managed to find a red dog collar decorated with rhinestones for Kumi to wear.

Of course, with Nami being…well, Nami, she looked ready to maul the clerk to death when she found out the prices of the clothes when they attempted to make their purchases.

"Are you freaking kidding me?!" Nami questioned. "These prices are WAY too steep!"

"M-ma'am, I'm sorry!" said the clerk. "Those _are_ designer brands you know!"

"I demand a 85% discount for all of these!" Nami shouted, slamming her hand on the counter.

"W-what?!" the clerk questioned. "Are you mad?! You'd pay next to nothing!"

"Exactly!" Nami shouted.

"Nami, it's okay," Aika said. "We just won't get as much."

"Not now, honey, Nami's busy," Nami said.

"_Aika…suddenly, I have a very bad feeling,"_ Kumi said.

"Me, too," Aika said.

"Look, buddy!" Nami shouted. "Do I look like a sucker to you?! Like I'm made of money?!"

"Well, if you don't like it, then you can just leave the clothes and get out, you bitch!" the clerk shouted.

Nami froze…but then she glared at the clerk, who suddenly shrank back.

"…What…did you…call me?" she asked.

"A…a bitch?" the clerk repeated, nervously.

"…What's a b-" Aika began, but then Nami held her finger out to her.

"Aika…I want you and Kumi to turn around, close your eyes, and cover your ears," the navigator advised, and Aika and Kumi did exactly that. Not long after, the sound of Nami yelling in anger, followed by screams of pain and terror, as well as the sound of punches landing on flesh is heard. As quickly as it began, it was over, and Nami approached Aika with…a familiar red liquid dripping from her fists, which are carrying bags of clothes and other accessories.

"Good news!" Nami said. "He changed his mind!"

"What's that on your-" Aika began.

"It's ketchup, honey," Nami said. "That's all it is."

"But-" Aika began, but Nami quickly shooed her and Kumi out of the store before they could say anything else.

Behind the counter, the clerk is seen lying on the floor in a comically bruised and bloodied heap.

"Have a…nice day…!" he groaned.

XXX

Later on, Nami, Aika, and Kumi had stopped at a place called "The Me Time Day Spa".

"I've never been to a spa, before," Aika said.

"You'll love it," Nami said. "It feels like they take away all your troubles!"

"Well…okay," Aika said. "I guess it won't be too bad."

With that, the girls entered the spa and began their relaxing treatment. They got some mud mask facials where Aika couldn't help but play with the mud. She actually scared one of the staff members by making a funny face with it. After that, the girls a mani-pedi (Kumi had her nails painted with pink polish), and after that, they had two Fishmen masseurs give them a relaxing massage. Nami actually paid them a 500 Berry tip each when they were finished. After they had their massage, the girls spent a good 15 minutes in the sauna, followed by a nice makeover. Nothing too big and fancy, just a bit of blush on their cheeks.

Unfortunately, the staff found themselves in the same situation as the clothes store clerk when they revealed the price of the treatment they received, and one impatient member ended up calling the hotheaded navigator the "B-word", not just once, but twice!

"_I think I'm starting to sense a pattern, here,"_ Kumi said.

"Me, too," Aika added.

After Nami had finished wailing on the unfortunate staff member, she, Aika, and Kumi left to spend the rest of their day elsewhere.

However…they didn't realize that the whole time, they had been followed.

XXX

"AHAHAHA! Push me higher!"

Nami laughed as she pushed Aika and Kumi on the swings. They had just arrived at a playground after they left the mall and decided to spend some time having fun here.

"Whoa!" Aika cried as she and Kumi went higher and higher before she continued her gleeful laughter.

"Isn't this fun, Aika?" Nami asked.

"Yeah," Aika replied, "but I think I'm ready to get down now!"

Nami smiled before she grabbed Aika by her back, slowing her down, and then taking her and Kumi off the swing once it had come to a complete stop. Then, they went to sit down on a bench to rest.

"So how do you like our girls' day out?" Nami asked.

"I love it!" Aika answered. "This is the most fun I've ever had! Kumi loves it, too!"

**ARF!** Kumi barked in agreement, and Nami laughed.

"Well that's good," Nami said. "We should probably do stuff like that, more often."

"Yeah," Aika agreed…before she hugged Nami, who was surprised at first, but then she smiled and returned her embrace. "…Thanks for spending time with me…Big Sis Nami. I love you."

Nami's eyes went wide and she bit her lip…but then her smile grew even bigger and she hugged Aika even tighter.

"I love you, too, Little Sis," she whispered, her voice breaking. As she continued to lovingly embrace the little girl…a thought suddenly occurred to her.

'_Maybe…maybe I should tell her about Luffy,'_ she thought.

"Um…Aika?" Nami asked.

"Yeah?" Aika replied.

"Uh…I was wondering," Nami began…but then she spotted an ice cream cart nearby. "Would you…like some ice cream?"

Hearing this caused Aika to gasp in delight before she turned into her wolf form and yipped excitedly while hopping up and down.

"Okay, okay, calm down!" Nami said. "Relax! I'll get you and Kumi some!"

"I want vanilla!" Aika answered. "Make it two! One for me and one for Kumi!"

"Got it," Nami said before she took her purse and walked over to the ice cream vendor, who greeted her with a kind smile. While Nami was gone…a pair of hands suddenly reached out from the bush behind a now human Aika, who didn't seem to notice at the time, but as she innocently sat on the bench, waiting for Nami to return with her frozen treat, Kumi turned at just the right moment and gasped.

"_Aika, behind you!"_ Kumi cried.

"What?" Aika asked, but then, the hands grabbed her, one arm wrapped around her torso while the other covered her mouth, causing her to let out a muffled yelp of surprise and panic before she was pulled behind the bushes.

Kumi barked frantically to get Nami's attention, and it worked. The navigator turned around, just as she was about to receive three ice cream cones: two vanilla and one tangerine sherbet, and spotted Kumi, who pointed at several Marines soldiers, who are now carrying Aika away!

"AIKA!" Nami screamed before she ran after the girl's captors.

"W-wait! Miss!" the vendor called. "What about your ice cream?!"

Nami didn't answer him. She just ran after the Marines like a bat out of hell, and Kumi darted after her.

"PUT HER DOWN!" Nami roared as she imbued her fists with Armaments Haki and slammed them into the back of the Marine that grabbed Aika. Once he was down, Aika pulled herself out of his grasp and ran into Nami's arms.

"We have to go! Now!" Nami shouted before she, Aika (who went wolf), and Kumi ran off in the opposite direction, but the Marines soon ran after them in hot pursuit, brandishing rifles and cutlasses.

"Aika, keep running!" Nami shouted as she turned to face them. "Don't worry! I'll catch up with you! Just give me a minute! And whatever you do, if you see anymore Marines, DO NOT get caught!"

"Okay, Big Sis!" Aika cried as she kept running with Kumi. "Be careful!"

Nami then pulled out the pieces of her Sorcery Clima-Tact from her purse and connected them. Then, she released a chain of Weather Balls with black clouds inside.

"Black Ball…RAIUN ROD!" she shouted before she threw the chain at the Marines, electrocuting them. Once she was certain that they wouldn't get up from that shock, Nami turned to catch up with Aika and Kumi, but when she turned, she gasped in horror when she saw the two canines running back towards her…with another horde of Marines giving chase!

"Oh, FOR THE LOVE OF PETE!" Nami cried before she pointed her Sorcery Clima-Tact at the Marines as Aika and Kumi ran passed her. "GUST SWORD!"

**FWOOSH!** A huge gust of pressurized wind came out from the tip of her staff, blowing the Marines away!

"Okay, that ought to take care of them for a while-" Nami began, but then she saw even more Marines coming from her left. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"

With that, Nami, Aika, and Kumi ran with the Marines still pursuing them through the streets, refusing to give up.

"What are we gonna do, Big Sis Nami?!" Aika questioned.

"I dunno, honey!" Nami answered. "All I knew is that if this keeps up, we'll be-"

She stopped, mid-sentence when she saw, to her shock, they had ended up in an alley.

"…Trapped," Nami muttered, finishing her sentence.

Aika turned and gasped upon seeing the Marines about to close in on them while Kumi growled viciously at them. Nami stepped forward, brandishing her Sorcery Clima-Tact.

"Stay back!" she warned. "I'm warning you! You know nothing of the Science of Weather!"

The Marines just laughed at before they continued to advance, but Nami stood her ground, preparing to attack if any one of them made an attempt to do so themselves. However, she knew she had to be careful here. One false move could either hurt herself or Aika if she didn't watch her step.

As the Marines began to close in…Aika seemed to spot something in the distance. It looked like…a giant cloud of dust.

"What's that coming this way?" Aika asked.

"What's what?" Nami asked before she looked up and gasped. "Oh, god! Get down, get down, GET DOWN!"

"Why?!" Aika asked, but Nami pushed her and Kumi down to the ground before she could answer.

The Marines just stood there, bewildered, but then they turned around and gasped in horror…upon seeing Luffy, riding atop Blizzard's back as they came charging towards them.

"STRAW HAT LUFFY AND WHITE WOLF BLIZZARD!" the Marines cried.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGH!" Luffy roared before he and Blizzard came barreling through them like a bowling ball! Soon, the sound of yelling, barking, punches landing, fangs ripping through flesh, and screams of pain filled the air, and as quickly as it started…it was over.

Nami stood up and dusted her pants off, followed by Aika and Kumi, before turning to Luffy, who smiled at them.

"You guys okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, thanks to you," Nami said. "How's your stomach?"

"Better!" Luffy replied with a grin.

"_Robin told us where you guys went,"_ Blizzard said. _"By the time we left the ship, we sensed the Marines chasing you, so we ran on over. By the way, nice collar Kumi."_

"_Thank you!"_ Kumi said, flaunting her new collar.

"So, aside from the Marines, how was your day?" Luffy asked.

"It was fun!" Aika answered. "I wanna have a girls' day out with Big Sis Nami again, someday!"

"Aww, she called you Big Sis~!" Luffy cooed to Nami. "That's so sweet!"

"I know~!" Nami said. "Isn't she adorable?"

"How touching?"

The group gasped before they turned and saw…Vice-Admiral Auguste, flashing his usual smirk.

"Nami! Aika! Kumi! Stay behind me and Blizzard!" Luffy ordered as he took a fighting stance with Blizzard growling viciously at Auguste, who simply raised his hand.

"Relax," he said. "I'm not here to fight you. I just don't have the patience, right now. I'm simply here to collect my battered men."

"Vice-Admiral…!" one of the Marines groaned.

"Look, buddy," Nami said. "I don't know why you guys are after Aika, but just do her and the rest of us a favor and leave her alone!"

"Yeah!" Luffy added.

"Oh, I'm afraid I can't do that," Auguste said as his men began to pick themselves up off the ground. "You see…I'm under orders to capture that girl alive."

"Under orders?" Nami asked. "Orders from who?"

"That's none of your concern," Auguste said. "Now, I'll just bid you all a kind adieu. However…you're still welcome to join me, Cat Burglar Nami." He winked at her as he said this, which caused Luffy to growl in jealousy, but Nami quickly held him back.

"Ah-ah-ah! Luffy!" Nami said. "Let me handle this!"

"Fine," Luffy grumbled.

Nami walked up to Auguste with a seemingly sweet smile…but then, **BAM!** Nami kicked the Vice-Admiral right in his family jewels, causing him to let out a high-pitched scream before he fell to the ground.

"I said it before and I'll say it again!" Nami shouted before she wagged her finger and head back and forth. "You can't handle this!" She then snapped her fingers at the Vice-Admiral before walking away.

"_Oh, no, she didn't!"_ Blizzard said.

"Oh, yes, she did!" Luffy agreed.

"_No, she didn't!"_

"Yes, she did!"

"_No, she-"_

"YES, SHE DID, BLIZZARD! I JUST SAW HER!"

"_Okay! Take it easy! Jeez!"_

"Oh, Luffy!" Nami said.

"Yeah, Nami?" Luffy asked.

"I just remembered, Aika and I left all our shopping bags at the park," Nami said. "Can you and Blizzard carry them for us?"

"Sure!" Luffy said. "I mean, how many are there?"

XXX

Luffy panted as he and Blizzard as they each carried ten bags full of clothes and accessories while Nami, Aika, and Kumi walked ahead of him.

"Nami…is all this necessary?!" Luffy questioned.

"Yes…yes, it is," Nami answered with a wry smile while Aika giggled.

"Ugh…I wish I still had a tummy ache…!" Luffy groaned, carrying five bags in each arm.

"_Hey…be grateful you're not suffering alone,"_ Blizzard pointed as he carried five heavy bags in his mouth and five more on his tail.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

Review, please!


	9. The Demon and the Little Wolf

**Ch. 9- The Demon and the Little Wolf**

* * *

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard, Aika, Kumi, and Jupiter © Me

* * *

Aika and Kumi stood side-by-side, curious yet tentative as they watched the snoring beast known as one Roronoa Zoro.

"_Go wake him,"_ Kumi whispered.

"Uh-uh!" Aika whispered back. "You wake him!"

"_Why me?!"_ Kumi asked softly.

"I don't wanna get yelled at!" Aika answered. "Besides…I heard Luffy say he's a…a demon."

"_I'm sure Luffy was just exaggerating,"_ Kumi said. _"Now go wake him, already!"_

"Zoro!"

Aika sighed in relief while Zoro snorted as he woke to the sound of Nami calling his name and he grumbled irritably.

"Dammit to hell," he cursed. "What do you want now, Nami?!"

"Don't you talk to me that way!" Nami barked as she came downstairs with Luffy following her. "Look, we're going out for a while. We need you to watch the ship while you're gone."

"You woke me up just to tell me that?" Zoro asked. "I'm starting to see a pattern, here."

"Hey, I got an idea!" Luffy said. "Why don't you watch Aika and Kumi for a while, Zoro?"

"What?!" Nami and Zoro questioned, comically. "Are you kidding me?!"

"Luffy, need I remind you that Zoro almost got Kumi killed by that bear when he made her and Aika leave the ship that day?!" Nami asked.

"For once, I agree with her!" Zoro shouted, comically. "I am not being a babysitter!"

'_Not after what happened at Water 7, at least!'_ he thought.

"Why can't Law watch the kid?!" Zoro questioned.

"Because I already did it," Law answered.

"Well…what about Kin'emon?!" Zoro asked.

"Kin'emon and Momo are going with us!" Luffy answered, pointing to the father and son samurai, who are dressed in the kind of clothes that regular townspeople would wear.

"Father thinks that it'd be nice if we looked more like the townsfolk around here," Momonosuke said. "That way, we wouldn't frighten anyone."

"Besides, it might help us when we get to Dressrosa!" Kin'emon added.

Zoro sighed and slapped his face against his forehead.

"I think it'd be good for you to spend some time with Aika, Zoro," Robin said. "After all, she's barely gotten to know you, yet."

"Oh, come on, Robin, you too?!" Zoro questioned.

Robin smiled before she went up to Zoro and whispered, "If you don't do this, I'm going to tell the others about what happened in Water 7."

"You wouldn't dare," Zoro whispered in horror.

"Try me," Robin added.

"…All right, fine!" Zoro said. "I'll watch the little bugger and her pup! Happy now?!"

"Yes," Nami replied with a smile with Robin chuckling.

Truth be told, Robin actually wanted to have children of her own in the future, and she figured that Zoro watching Aika and Kumi would bring some parental instincts he never thought he had.

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed. "Don't worry, Zoro! I'm sure you and Aika will have lots of fun!"

'_I highly doubt that,'_ Zoro thought.

"Oh, and one more thing," Nami said. "If Aika says you've been mean to her, I'm going to fine 100,000 Berries for every time!"

"You've gotta be kidding!" Zoro said.

"Nope," Nami answered.

"Whoa," Usopp said. "Low blow."

"Yohoho!" Brook laughed.

"Later, Zoro!" Franky said as he and the others left.

"If you happen to hear a voice shouting 'Let me out, let me out', it's probably Caesar again," Law said. "Just ignore him."

Zoro sighed as he sat down on the deck and looked to Aika and Kumi, who blinked at him innocently. The green-haired swordsman grunted before he looked away.

"Well…looks like I'm stuck with you until the others come back," Zoro said.

"_He almost makes it sound like it's a bad thing,"_ Kumi said, sounding somewhat offended.

"Don't you like us, Zoro?" Aika asked.

"It's not that I don't like you," Zoro said as he stood up and walked across the deck to the Crow's Nest. "I just can't be bothered with looking after a couple of kids. Now you'll excuse me, I have training to do."

XXX

**THOMP! THOMP! THOMP!** Zoro hopped across the deck, carrying a two-ton weight over his shoulders. He paused for a few seconds to take a breath before he continued.

"_What the heck's he doing?"_ Kumi asked.

"…Maybe he's playing leap frog," Aika answered. "Oh! I know! Let's play with him! Hey, Zoro, can we play leap frog, too?!"

"What?" Zoro asked. "Leap frog?"

"Yeah! Let us play!" Aika said before she jumped on Zoro's back, much to the swordsman's surprise.

"AAH! A-Aika, no! Get off!" Zoro cried as he stumbled around.

"Whoa! WHOA-OH!" Aika cried.

Kumi whimpered in an unpleasant manner before she covered her eyes with her paws.

'_I can't watch!'_ the Akita pup thought.

Before long, **THOOM!** Zoro and Aika ended up crashing on the deck, and they actually made a hole in it!

"Dammit!" Zoro cursed. "Franky's gonna blow a gasket! Nice going, Aika!"

"S-sorry," Aika apologized. "I just thought you were playing a game."

"I wasn't playing," Zoro said as he stood up and pulled the weight out of the hole in the deck. "I was training."

"Why?" Aika asked. "You already look plenty strong to me."

"It's…complicated," Zoro replied. "Now why don't you go do something else besides distract me from my regimen."

Aika pouted before she walked while Zoro continued his workout.

XXX

"Zoro! Hey, Zoro!"

Zoro sighed as he wiped the sweat off his forehead with a towel before turning to look at Aika, who ran up to him with a pair of wooden swords.

"Let's play swordfight, okay?" Aika asked.

"Why?" Zoro asked.

"'Cause I'm bored," Aika answered. "Please?"

"…Oh, all right," Zoro said. "Just to humor you."

Aika grinned before she handed one of the wooden swords to Zoro and held the other in her hand. Zoro then crouched down to her height level to give her a better chance. Aika poised herself to attack, but then, Zoro struck the wooden sword out of her hand before she could!

"Hey!" Aika shouted. "No fair! I wasn't ready!"

"Sorry," Zoro apologized. "I'll ask next time."

Aika pouted before she went to get her "weapon", and then came back. However, when the little girl tried to make an attempt to attack or even so much as try to put up a fight, Zoro kept knocking the toy out of her hand. He had to admit, it was a bit fun teasing her a little…but after about 99 wins, Aika had decided she had enough.

"You're nothing but a big, fat cheater!" Aika shouted before she stomped her foot on Zoro's toes, causing him to cry out in pain and hop up and down while yelping.

"Dammit, Aika, that hurts!" Zoro barked, but Aika just ignored him, walking to Kumi while pouting, which only caused the swordsman to sigh.

'_She really is Luffy's sister,'_ he thought, gritting his teeth angrily. _'She pouts just like him when he's being a sore loser!'_

With that, Zoro hobbled to the kitchen to get him some ice for his foot while Aika sat with Kumi, who put a paw on her shoulder.

XXX

Zoro yawned as he awoke from his midday nap. All that training really took a lot out of him. He decided to head to the kitchen to get himself a drink. On his way there, though, he spotted his reflection in the porthole window in the door, and needless to say, he was shocked beyond words.

Zoro's face is covered in various doodles: a cherry blossom on his cheek, red swirls on his cheeks, a paw print over his scarred eye, and the letter A on his forehead. It didn't take long for him to figure out who the culprit is.

"AIKA~!" he roared.

Nearby the men's quarters, Aika and Kumi are seen laughing their heads off upon hearing the swordsman's outburst, the former holding a paintbrush in her hand. However, their laughter was short-lived when a shadow loomed over them. They looked up and saw…a very pissed-off Zoro.

"That does it!" Zoro shouted. "You are the most insufferable little brat I've ever known!"

"But…I was just having fun," Aika said.

"I DON'T CARE!" Zoro shouted, his voice rising. "IT WAS BAD ENOUGH WHEN LUFFY, USOPP, CHOPPER, BLIZZARD, AND EVEN THAT CRAP COOK DOES THIS TO ME! NOW YOU'RE GETTING INTO IT, TOO?!"

Aika opened her mouth to speak, but Zoro just kept yelling.

"THIS IS WHY I HATE WATCHING LITTLE SNOT-NOSED BRATS LIKE YOU! WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE?!"

A pause…but then, Zoro's ears were met with sniffling, followed by a whimper. He opened his eye and gasped silently…upon seeing Aika, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Uh…okay, wait, I-" Zoro began, but then, Aika morphed into her wolf form and ran off the ship before he could explain with Kumi following after her.

"_Wait! Aika!"_ Kumi cried as she followed her best friend.

"No! Aika, Kumi, wait!" Zoro called as he jumped off the ship after them. "Dammit, if Nami ever finds out, she'll put me in so much debt that I'll never be able to pay her back!"

XXX

In town, Nami suddenly froze as she walked down the street with Luffy.

"What's up, Nami?" Luffy asked.

"I don't know," Nami replied, "but I sense…a disturbance."

XXX

"Shit! Now where am I?!"

Zoro looked around as he found himself in the middle of a dead-end street. He had spent this whole time trying to find Aika and get her back to the ship without Nami and the others knowing.

Unfortunately, the disoriented swordsman found himself hopelessly lost…AGAIN.

"Dammit, why did I have to go and lose my damn temper?" Zoro asked himself as he sat down on the street. "If I ever became a father…I'd be one hell of a bad one."

Unbeknownst to Zoro…Aika happened to be hiding behind a crate in an alleyway with Kumi…and they both happened to overhear his one-sided conversation.

"I mean…maybe I am a little impatient," Zoro admitted to himself. "Maybe I tend to lose my temper too much…and maybe I can be a little too serious, especially in a play fight."

Aika blinked at Zoro before she quietly approached him.

"I don't blame her if she never wants to forgive me," Zoro said.

"…I forgive you, Zoro," Aika spoke up, startling the swordsman.

"A-Aika!" he cried. "How long have you been there?!"

"Long enough," Aika admitted.

"…Sorry I yelled at you," Zoro said. "I'm not used to being around little kids, that's all."

"It's okay," Aika said. "I'm sorry for doodling on your face."

"…You know what, Aika?" Zoro asked. "After the many times Luffy, Usopp, Chopper, Blizzard, and that cook do it…I should've been used to it by now."

Aika giggled while Zoro gently ruffled her hair.

"C'mon," he said. "Let's get back to the ship before Nami and the others do."

Aika smiled and nodded her head, but then a thought occurred to her.

"Uh…Zoro?" she asked. "You do know how to get back, right? Because Luffy says you get lost a whole lot."

"I do NOT get…" Zoro growled, but then he sighed. "Easy, Zoro. Think pleasant thoughts."

"Hold it!"

Zoro, Aika, and Kumi turned…and saw a large horde of Marines, surrounding them.

"The Marines!" Aika cried in fright.

"Great," Zoro muttered. "And there's only 50 of them. This'll be too easy."

"You're not going anywhere, Pirate Hunter!" shouted one of them. "Just hand over the girl."

"Aika, Kumi, get behind me," Zoro said as he tied his bandana around his head and drew his sword. "Also, you might wanna cover your eyes…this could get REALLY ugly!"

(A/N: Play "Don't Stop" from Black Lagoon with this.)

The Marines muttered amongst themselves upon seeing Zoro taking a swords stance. Truth be told, they were nervous as hell, and for good reason. He is one of the strongest members of the Straw Hats after all. They knew that not even a whole army of Marines could stop this guy.

Still, when one is blinded by fear…it can cause them to do things they wished they hadn't. Take right now for example.

One Marine cried out as he charged Zoro, who seemed to make a beastly growl before he caught the blade of his cutlass in his teeth. Then…he bit down on it, shattering the blade to pieces!

Another Marine tried to jump at him from behind, but Zoro turned and cut him down before he could do so!

"…Whoa…!" Aika whispered in awe. "He's awesome!"

"_Yeah…he almost fights like…a real demon…!"_ Kumi added.

Zoro roared as he charged at the other Marines, who charged back at them while brandishing their swords as well.

"3-Sword Style…HYOKINDAMA!" he shouted as he spun around in midair and cut down the Marines in his way. Before long, he turned to several more and cut them down with lightning speed!

"Vice-Admiral!" one cried as he held up a Mini Transponder Snail. "Vice-Admiral Auguste! We need backup! Roronoa Zoro is- AGH!"

**SLASH!** Zoro cut down that one before he could say much else.

"**Hello? Hello?!"** Auguste's voice was heard calling. **"What's going on over there?! What's this I'm hearing about Roronoa?! Hello?!"**

Zoro then turned to several more soldiers, who all gasped in horror.

"Sh-shoot him!" shouted the Marine Captain that was leading them, and the men fired their rifles at Zoro…who easily cut through the bullets before he dashed towards them!

"3-Sword Style…PURGATORY ONI GIRI!"

**SLASH!** He cut them all down with one fell swing of his swords, much to Aika's shock and amazement.

"Yeah!" Aika cheered. "Cut 'em down, Zoro!"

Suddenly, she and Kumi were picked up by another Marine…who held his rifle at them.

"Hey! Pirate Hunter!" he shouted. "Put down your swords or I'll put a bullet through their heads!"

Zoro turned to face the Marine that held Aika and Kumi captive and growled angrily.

"You bastard," he hissed. "Aren't you guys supposed the embodiment of justice or some such shit?!"

"Shut up!" the Marine shouted. "Just put your swords down!"

A pause…but then Zoro looked at Aika, who gasped silently before she put on a determined look.

"Don't worry about me, Zoro!" she shouted. "Kumi and I will be okay!"

"_Wait, what?!"_ Kumi questioned.

"I'm not scared!" Aika shouted. "Even if they do point a gun at my head!"

"Well said, Aika," Zoro smirked before he began to step forward. "You hear that, dumb-ass? Aika's ready to die by your hand."

"S-stop! Stay where you are!" the Marine cried. "Don't move!"

But Zoro continued to advance. He put _Kitetsu III_ and _Shuusui_ into their sheaths, and then he held out _Wado Ichimonji_.

"One-Sword Style…" he began, "Draw-and-Sheathe Technique."

"Don't you move!" the Marine cried. "I-I'll shoot them! I SWEAR!"

Zoro then charged at the Marine, who screamed in terror. He was so scared, he seemed to forget to pull the trigger on his rifle. That was the chance Aika was looking for. Without warning, she and Kumi pulled themselves out of the rifleman's grasp and ran for cover, and just in time.

**SLASH!** Zoro swung his sword…and then slowly sheathed the blade.

"Lion's Strike of Death."

**CLANK! BLOOSH!** A geyser of red gushed from the Marine's chest before he joined his comrades, all of them having dropped to the ground in bloody defeat.

"Humph…!" Zoro scoffed as he stood up. "What a cakewalk."

"Wow!" Aika said. "Zoro, you were amazing!"

Kumi barked in agreement while Zoro smirked.

"Thanks," he said. "Now, how about we go back to the ship?"

"Right…uh…you do know the way, right?" Aika asked.

Zoro sweat-dropped at this. Even though he would never admit it, he actually did not know the way back to the ship at all…but then, he spotted something, sticking out of the wall of a building. It looked like…a hand, pointing the way.

'_Thank you, Robin,'_ he thought.

"C'mon, Aika, Kumi," he said. "Let's go."

The two half-pints blinked at Zoro, then glanced at each other in confusion before shrugging and following after the swordsman. As they did, Robin smiled as she watched them leave…before disappearing in a shroud of flower petals.

XXX

Later that day, as the sun had set beyond the sea, the Straw Hats had finally made it back to the _Sunny_.

"Man, what a day," Usopp said. "I'm exhausted."

"I guess I'll go get dinner ready," Sanji added.

"I wonder how Zoro and Aika were," Nami said.

"Ah, I'm sure they're fine," Luffy answered.

"What makes you so sure?" Nami asked.

"Oh, Nami," Robin called as she pointed to the navigator's right. Nami looked…and what she saw made her want to squeal in absolute delight…for there, sleeping against the wall…is Zoro, with Aika and Kumi curled up in his lap.

"Oh, my god, that is SO cute…!" Nami whispered.

"Aww~!" Luffy swooned.

"Humph…what a marshmallow," Sanji smirked.

Franky sniffled and blubbered quietly at the scene.

"That is just so adorable…!" he whimpered.

Robin walked over to the two and gently tapped her hand on Zoro's shoulder, causing him to awake.

"Hey," the swordsman greeted sleepily. "You guys just get back?"

"Mm-hmm," Robin hummed as Aika and Kumi awoke as well.

"Hey, guys," Luffy greeted. "So how'd it go with Zoro?"

"Uhh…" Zoro muttered, nervously. "Well…we-"

"We had a nice time!" Aika answered.

"Oh, really?" Nami asked, surprised.

"Yep! Smooth sailing through calm seas!" Aika replied.

"Well, Zoro, I am impressed!" Nami said. "We should let you baby-sit Aika and Kumi more often."

"Uh…yeah! Sure!" Zoro agreed. "Hehehehe…!"

"Shishishishi!" Aika giggled.

"Well, I guess we'll start storing everything then," Nami said as she went to the library.

"Good job today, Zoro!" Luffy added.

Aika smiled before she prepared to follow Luffy, but then, Zoro tapped her shoulder.

"Hey, Aika," he said. "Thanks for not ratting me out."

"No problem," Aika said, "but you owe me big."

"How about next time you challenge to a swordfight, I let you win best 2 out of 3?" Zoro offered.

"Deal!" Aika answered before she kissed Zoro's cheek, causing him to smile and ruffle her hair again.

Robin couldn't help but smile at the two.

'_She's even got Zoro wrapped around her finger,'_ she thought. _'I'm sure he'd make a wonderful father…one day.'_

XXX

Meanwhile, Auguste is sitting at his desk, nervously drumming his fingers on the mahogany board as he spoke into a Transponder Snail.

"**I'm starting to lose my patience with you, Auguste!"** said a voice on the other line. **"How is it so hard for you to apprehend a little 6-year-old girl?!"**

"Forgive me, sir," Auguste said. "You see…Straw Hat Luffy and his crew-"

"**What?! Why didn't you tell me that Dragon's son is involved in this?! This is exactly what I was afraid of!"**

"Sir, please! Let me explain! I didn't expect her to be with Straw Hat, that's all! It was all just a minor setback! I assure you, I will have the girl in custody…and as a bonus, I will even arrest Straw Hat Luffy for you!"

"…**I never did get to finish what I started, 2 years ago. Very well…but Auguste."**

"Y-yes, sir?"

"**I'm warning you…this is your **_**last chance**_**…because if I hear that that girl, as well as Dragon's son, has escaped again…I'll have your head instead of hers!"**

Auguste gulped at this.

"Y…yes, Fleet Admiral Sakazuki," he muttered. "I swear…I will not fail you, this time!"

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

Review, please!


	10. Brother and Sister

**Ch. 10- Brother and Sister**

* * *

One Piece © Oda

Let It Go © Disney

Blizzard, Aika, Kumi, and Jupiter © Me

* * *

It is very early in morning. The air is cold, at least 26 below 0, and a thick blanket of snow sits upon the deck of the _Thousand Sunny_. The Straw Hats, plus Law, Jupiter, Kin'emon, and Momonosuke are still asleep inside their rooms.

In Luffy and Nami's room, the captain and his navigator are in a blissful sleep…well, the latter was in a blissful sleep. The former's sleep didn't seem all that blissful, at all. In fact…Luffy was panting heavily and lying in a pool of sweat.

"A…Ace…Ace, no…!" he muttered. "H-hang on, Ace…please…! D-don't die…no! No! NOOO!"

With a gasp, Luffy sat up, panting and shaking as beads of sweat fell from his eyes. He took a look around and it didn't take long for him to realize he was in his and Nami's love nest, safe and sound.

"Mm…Luffy?"

Luffy looked over and saw Nami turning over from one side to the other to look at her fiancé with a look of sleepiness and worry.

"You okay?" Nami asked as she took out her earplugs. "You were tossing and turning in your sleep."

"Uh…yeah," Luffy said, running a hand through his mop of black hair. "I-I'm fine. Just had a bit of a bad dream, that's all. Nothing major."

"You sure?" Nami asked. "You're covered in sweat. What did you dream about?"

Luffy stared at Nami…but then he looked away.

"…Uh…I dreamt that a…giant caterpillar ate all my meat…again," he lied.

Nami rolled her eyes.

"I told you not to eat that Triple Chewy Chocolate Cake before bed," she said before she put her earplugs back in and lied back down.

Luffy looked at Nami before he smiled at her, and then pulled the covers up to her shoulders and gave her a kiss on the cheek, causing her to smile in her sleep. Then the captain sighed as he sat in bed, placing his hand upon the X-shaped scar on his chest.

"…Why…?" he whispered. "Why is that still haunting me?"

An image of Ace, slipping out of Luffy's arms with a bloody smile before collapsing on the ground, completely lifeless, appeared in the captain's mind. Luffy shuddered and shook his head, trying to erase that dreadful memory.

He thought that this whole time, he was over it…but in reality, Ace's death still haunts Luffy to this very day, no matter how much time had passed.

However…he would not let his crew see his pain. The last thing he wanted was for them to worry about him.

At that moment, Luffy realized Aika and Kumi were being awfully quiet despite his awakening.

"Hey, Aika, Kumi," he said. "I didn't wake you guys, ri…huh?"

To his surprise, Aika and Kumi are not lying at the foot of the duvet.

"Aika?" Luffy called as he looked around. "Kumi?"

He looked under the bed, the covers, behind the mini fridge, and even checked under the pillows, but couldn't find the two young ones anywhere.

"Girls?" he called as he reached over to the headboard to get his hat and then put his shirt on. At that moment, he finally noticed that it seemed very cold. He shivered as he hugged his arms and headed upstairs. As he did, it got even colder as he entered Zoro's and Robin's room, which was once the women's quarters. That's when he saw that the door is slightly ajar.

"What the hell?" Luffy muttered as he opened the door and went outside…only to slip on the snow and fell to the deck, hitting the back of his head as he did. Luckily, he was made of rubber.

"Ugh…!" Luffy groaned as he sat up. As he did, he saw Aika, in her wolf form, running around in the snow with Kumi.

"C'mon! Catch me!" Aika called as she ran while Kumi barked after her.

"_Slow down, Aika!"_ the Akita pup called.

Luffy blinked curiously, but then he smiled at the two before he stood up.

"Hey, guys," he said, casually.

"Oh!" Aika said as she stopped running with Kumi accidentally bumping into her. "Hi, Luffy!"

"_Good morning!"_ Kumi greeted.

"Pretty cold out here, don't you think?" Luffy asked.

"I don't care!" Aika answered. "I love playing in the snow!"

"_Yeah! It's fun!"_ Kumi said.

"I see," Luffy said before he looked out to the large, snowy forest nearby. "…Hey, Aika."

"Hmm?" Aika hummed, inquisitively. "What is it?"

"…How about I grab my coat and we'll go for a walk, okay?" Luffy asked.

"Okay!" Aika answered, wagging her tail eagerly.

XXX

Nami yawned as she sat up in bed. As she did, she looked and saw that Luffy's side of the bed is empty. All she found was a note on the nightstand.

"Huh?" Nami muttered before she picked up the note and read it.

"_Nami,_

_I went ashore to take Aika and Kumi out for a walk. Be back later._

_Love, Luffy._

_P.S.- I took a Mini Transponder Snail with me. Call me when Sanji has breakfast ready._

_Again, Love Luffy and all that junk."_

Nami chuckled at this.

"…I hope they have fun," she said before she sighed. "…I wonder…should Luffy know, now…?"

XXX

(A/N: Cue "Ki Toki To" from Wolf Children)

On the island, Aika, in her human form and wearing her dark coat and her outfit that she bought with Nami, and Kumi are seen running through the snowy hills and trees. The 6-year-old girl had a wide, open-mouthed smile on her face as she ran barefoot through the white powder, then did a somersault as she went from human to wolf in an instant before she looked back at Kumi, who attempted to do the same, only without the transformation. When the Akita pup attempted to do so, she only ended up with snow in her face, but she didn't seem to mind. She was happy seeing Aika having fun, running through the forest with her.

Not too far behind, Luffy followed after the pair, the same smile that Aika has on her face. He remembered to pick up Aika's clothes when they slipped off her during her morphing so he could return it to her, later. Right now, all he cared about is having fun with the girls. They raced through the forest, jumping over logs and running through bushes until they reached an open clearing and ran down a steep slope.

Aika laughed as she and Kumi began to slide downward, each pulling off some jumping tricks on the way like back-flips, somersaults, and even some 360 midair spins. Not long after, Luffy appeared, but he accidentally tripped and began spinning head-over-heels as he fell down the slope. He managed to get up on his feet and slide for a bit, but not 3 seconds later, he fell down again, and yet he was laughing the whole way as Aika and Kumi ran alongside him.

As soon as they made it down, all 3 of them let out a long, joyous howl before flopping down in the snow and laughing like there was no tomorrow. They lied there for a few minutes to catch their breath, staring up at the cloudy sky with fond smiles, but eventually, they decided it was time for them to head back to the _Sunny_.

Luffy didn't want to miss breakfast, and neither did Aika.

Aika, still in her wolf form, and Kumi laughed as they ran ahead of Luffy, who casually walked behind them.

"That was the most fun I ever had!" Aika exclaimed.

"_Yeah!"_ Kumi agreed. _"Although, it was more of a run than a walk."_

"Shishishishi!" Luffy laughed. "I haven't had that much fun since Ace and I had that snowball fight once!"

Aika and Kumi stopped upon hearing that name.

"…Ace?" Aika repeated. "Who's Ace, Luffy?"

Luffy froze…and his smile instantly fell, his eyes concealed by the brim of his hat.

"…Luffy?" Aika asked, concerned. "What's wrong?"

"…Ace…was my big brother," Luffy answered.

"_Your brother?"_ Kumi repeated.

"That's right," Luffy replied, "but…we're not really related. We just shared sake cups, and that's how we became brothers. Ace and I…we used to do everything together. We ate together, we fought together…we laughed and cried together. We both vowed no matter what, we'd both get stronger and sail the seas as pirates. He left home 3 years before I did and became a member of the Whitebeard Pirates. Heck, he actually became the Captain of the Second Fleet!"

"Wow!" Aika said in awe. "He must've been awesome!"

"Yeah…he was," Luffy answered.

"_So…how old is he?"_ Kumi asked.

"…He would've been 22 today," Luffy answered with a solemn voice.

"_What do you mean, 'would've been'?"_ Kumi repeated.

Just then, Aika gasped in horror.

"Luffy…is your brother…?" she asked.

"…Yeah," Luffy answered. "He died…2 years ago…trying to protect me."

"…_But…how?"_ Kumi asked. _"Why?!"_

"…Well…remember when I said that Ace and I aren't related?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah," Aika answered.

"Well…he was actually the son of Gold Roger, the first Pirate King," Luffy answered.

Aika and Kumi gasped in surprise and amazement at this.

"No way!" Aika said. "That's so cool!"

"Yeah…it was," Luffy answered, a small but sad smile creasing his lips, "but…the Marines didn't think so."

"The Marines?" Aika repeated.

"…This man named Blackbeard captured Ace," Luffy went on, "and then…Ace was taken to Marine Headquarters to be executed, just because he was Gold Roger's son."

"_But…that's not fair!"_ Kumi said. _"They can't kill someone because they're related to a pirate!"_

"I know…but…that's what they were gonna do," Luffy said.

"So what did you do, Luffy?" Aika asked.

"…Blizzard and I actually went there to help Ace's crew save him," Luffy answered, "and…we did save him, really…but…"

"_But?"_ Kumi repeated.

Luffy sighed and chewed his lip.

"…This man…Akainu," he continued, "he came after us…and he goaded Ace into a fight by insulting Whitebeard. Ace got pretty mad, and I could understand that…but Ace wasn't strong enough to fight him. He actually got burned because Akainu was made out of magma."

Aika gasped…as she remembered a certain man that appeared at her island as it was being destroyed.

"…Then…Akainu turned on me," Luffy said. "I almost thought, for sure, that I was gonna die, right then and there…but then…Ace jumped in the way."

"_What?!"_ Kumi questioned.

"Oh, no…!" Aika whispered. "Is that when he died?!"

"Well…first he dropped into my arms," Luffy explained, "and then…he talked for a while. Said that he never wanted to be a pirate to be famous…he just wanted to know if it was okay for him to be born or not. That was all. I still remember his last words: 'Thank you for loving me'. Then…he died with a smile on his face."

"…I'm sorry, Luffy," Aika said.

"_Yeah, me too," _Kumi said. _"We had no idea your brother died."_

Luffy just remained quiet…but they could tell that bringing up Ace's death brought back a very bad memory.

"…Do you miss him?" Aika asked.

"Of course I miss him," Luffy answered. "I'll always miss him, Aika…but I know that Ace isn't really gone."

He then pulled his left hand out of his pocket and placed it over his heart.

"He'll always live on…in my heart."

Aika and Kumi smiled at this, and Luffy smiled back at them.

"Now, c'mon," Luffy said. "I'm pretty sure Sanji's got breakfast ready by now, and I'm starving."

"Me, too!" Aika agreed.

With that, the trio proceeded to head back to the ship, but as they walked…Aika froze, her ears perked and her eyes wide, much to Luffy and Kumi's confusion.

"Aika?" Luffy asked.

"_Why'd you stop?"_ Kumi asked.

Aika didn't answer. She just continued to look around, this way and that way…but then, she crouched down with her tail tucked between her legs and her ears pinned against her head.

"Th…they're coming…!" she whispered, her golden yellow eyes darting this way and that.

"Who's coming?" Luffy asked.

"Over here! This way! The dogs have picked up something!"

The 3 gasped upon hearing voices in the distance behind them.

"_Oh, no,"_ Kumi muttered. _"Not the Marines, again!"_

"Why can't they just leave us alone?!" Luffy questioned.

"What do we do?!" Aika asked.

"We gotta hide…and quick!" Luffy said.

"_Where?!"_ Kumi questioned.

"Anywhere!" Aika answered before they ran and hid behind a dead tree. As soon as they did…many Marines appeared, and instead of coming in groups of at least 50...it almost like a whole army had come. They even brought their dogs with them. Not just that…but Luffy got a good look at who was leading them: Auguste, who is brandishing his machine crossbow.

"Have you found the girl, yet?" Auguste asked.

"Not yet, sir," said a Marine soldier, "but the dogs are tracking her down as we speak."

"I want that girl found…now!" Auguste ordered.

"Sir, with all due respect," said another soldier, "why make such a fuss over one little girl?"

As soon as he uttered that question, Auguste pointed his weapon at the soldier, who gasped silently.

"We were ordered by the Fleet Admiral to apprehend that girl, alive," Auguste hissed. "He is beginning to lose his patience with me, and to be frank, I am starting to lose _my_ patience with _you_ incompetent fools! Now…either you find that brat…or several of you are going home with more than just an arrow in your backs!"

"Y-yes, sir!" the frightened soldiers exclaimed, saluting the Vice-Admiral.

Aika whimpered, terrified at the thought of the Marines finally catching her.

"It's gonna be okay, Aika," Luffy whispered. "All we gotta do is sneak away without the Marines or those dogs sniffing us out. We'll warn the others and we can sail away from here without them even knowing!"

"O-okay," Aika whispered.

"And even if we do get caught, don't you worry," Luffy reassured, "because I'll protect you, no matter what happens."

Aika smiled at this.

"Thank you, Luffy," she whispered.

"_Yeah! You're awesome!"_ Kumi whispered.

Luffy grinned, but just when they were about to do sneak off…

**PURU-PURU-PURU! PURU-PURU-PURU! PURU-PURU-PURU!**

"Oh, crap…!" Luffy whispered. "I forgot about the Mini Transponder Snail I took with me!"

"What's that sound?" Auguste asked.

"It sounds like a Transponder Snail, sir," answered a soldier.

Luffy gulped before he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the Mini Transponder Snail inside, answering it.

"**Luffy, it's me,"** Nami answered on the other side. **"Just called to let you know that breakfast is ready, like you ask-"**

"Uh, Nami…can you call back or something?" Luffy asked, his voice soft. "You…kinda picked a bad time to call."

"**Wait, what did you say? Speak up! Why are you whispering?"**

"Nami, keep your voice down! It's not really safe, right now-"

**Grrrrr~!** Luffy froze before he looked back and saw a Marine K9, snarling and growling at him.

"**What was that?"** Nami asked. **"Luffy, was that your stomach growling? You must be hungry!"**

**WOOF-WOOF! WOOF! KA-BANG!** The dog barked, and not long after, a gunshot rang out as a bullet whizzed passed Luffy, barely grazing his hat!

"AIKA! KUMI! RUUUUUUN!" Luffy shouted, and that's exactly what they did!

"AFTER THEM!" Auguste ordered, and soon, his men and dogs soon gave chase!

"**Luffy, what was that?!"** Nami questioned on the Mini Transponder Snail. **"Was that a gunshot?! What's going on?!"**

"Long story short, Nami," Luffy began, "the Marines are here and now they're after Aika, Kumi, and me! Gotta go, love you, BYE!"

"**Wait, what?! Luffy, wait! Don't-"**

**KOCHEP!** Luffy hung up before Nami could say much else and continued to run from the Marines with Aika and Kumi running ahead of him.

XXX

On the _Sunny_, Nami stared at the Transponder Snail with a worried expression while the rest of the Straw Hats had gathered in the kitchen. One look from her, and everyone knew…

Their crewmates are in trouble…and they had to go find them, now!

XXX

"Get back here, Straw Hat!" Auguste shouted as he fired his arrows from his machine crossbow. "You can't run forever!"

"Kiss my rubber ass!" Luffy barked, giving the Marines the finger.

"That audacity will get you killed, someday," Auguste hissed before he fired another arrow at Luffy, which ended up pinning him to a tree by the back of his coat!

"AGH!" Luffy cried as he struggled to get away.

"Luffy!" Aika cried.

"Just run! I'll catch up with you!" Luffy ordered as he began to unbutton his coat. "Hurry!"

"_Aika, just come on!"_ Kumi shouted before she and Aika ran. Not long after, Luffy managed to take off his coat. Then, he turned around…and sent a powerful death glare at the Marines, unleashing a burst of his Conqueror's Haki. Doing so managed to knock out at least half the Marines and even the dogs that were chasing them…but it wasn't enough. The ones that remained standing, including Auguste, continued their pursuit!

"Forward!" Auguste shouted, reloading his machine crossbow while running. "Don't let anything hinder you!"

"Shit!" Luffy cursed as he ran.

"What do we do, now?!" Aika questioned.

"Keep running! What else?!" Luffy answered.

**BANG-BANG-BANG!** The Marines began to fire their rifles at Luffy, Aika, and Kumi, who dodged the bullets as best they could. Aika yelped when she felt one graze her left cheek, causing just a tiny sliver of blood to appear.

"Be careful with those stray shots!" Auguste shouted. "We need her alive, remember?!"

"S-sorry, sir!" cried a Marine soldier.

"You okay, Aika?!" Luffy questioned.

"Yeah! It's only a scratch!" Aika answered, but then she tripped and fell in the snow.

"_Oh, no! Aika!"_ Kumi cried.

Auguste growled before he aimed his weapon.

'…_Maybe the Fleet Admiral won't mind if at least one arrow gets in her,'_ he thought. _'I'll make it sound like it was an accident!'_

**TWANG-TWANG-TWANG!** Auguste pulled the trigger, and soon, several arrows were fired from his crossbow. Luffy gasped before he looked to Aika…and then, without any regard to his own life…he jumped in the way, shielding the wolf-girl with his body. Before long, he felt several arrowheads piercing his back!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUGGH!" he screamed.

"L-LUFFY!" Aika cried. "OH, NO!"

"Humph…foolish boy," Auguste hissed. "Of course he would do something like that. Men! Hurry and apprehend him while he's down, and get the girl while you're at it! What are you waiting for?!"

The Marines gasped before they charged at Luffy…who managed to get to his feet in spite of his pain and continued to run with Aika and Kumi. However, his body was screaming for him to stop and drops of blood fell into the snow.

"Luffy, stop!" Aika cried. "Your wounds will get worse!"

"I don't care!" Luffy panted. "I'll just grit my teeth and bear it, okay?! I'm not letting those Marines take you away! I may not why they're after you, but I don't care, dammit! I can't let them take you away! I WON'T!"

"…Luffy…!" Aika whispered with tears in her eyes.

Soon, the three reached a giant cliff-face: a dead end, it seemed. However, there were only two ways to go: right or left.

"Which way do we go now?!" Aika questioned.

"_Does it matter?!"_ Kumi asked.

"You two just go on without me," Luffy said, leaning against the rock wall.

"What?!" Aika questioned in shock. "Luffy, no!"

"Look, I can buy you some time, okay?!" Luffy questioned. "You have to go find the others!"

"…Be careful, okay?" Aika asked. "I…I don't wanna lose you…not like how I lost my Mommy."

Luffy smiled before he reached out and pet Aika.

"Don't you worry about me," he said. "I'll be all right…and I'll make sure those Marines don't come after you."

"_Let's go, Aika!"_ Kumi said.

"Right!" Aika said before she and her best friend ran off. Not long after, Auguste and his men appeared.

"Straw Hat!" Auguste shouted. "Where did the girl go?!"

"…I'd drop dead before I tell you anything," Luffy hissed.

"That can be arranged," Auguste said, holding up his machine crossbow.

Luffy sneered…before he stretched his hand out and grabbed the weapon, jerked it out of the Vice-Admiral's hands, and then crushed it!

"Why don't you stop using your damn toy and fight me, _mano e mano?!_" the Straw Hat Captain questioned.

"…I see," Auguste smirked before he grabbed his coat and threw it off his shoulders. "Men! Go after Aika! I'll deal with Straw Hat!"

"Yes, sir!" the Marines shouted as they prepared to run off after Aika and Kumi, but then…

"JET PISTOL!"

**BAM! BAM!** Two huge trees suddenly fell down, blocking the Marines' path, as well as keeping them from going back the way they came.

"None of you are going after Aika!" Luffy shouted, his body steaming. "I'll make sure of that!"

"Very well, Straw Hat," Auguste said, cracking his knuckles, "but I think I should warn you…your attempts are in vain."

Luffy sneered as he made the "come and get me" gesture with his hands before taking a fighting stance, which caused Auguste to smirk.

"This will be child's play," he said. "SORU!"

**ZWISH!** He disappeared in the blink of an eye!

"What the-?!" Luffy questioned in surprised, but then…

"RANKYAKU!"

**WHOOSH!** Luffy gasped as he turned around and barely managed to dodge an air-compressed blade. By the time he stood back up, Auguste was already towering over him with a smug grin.

"SHIGAN!" Auguste shouted before he stabbed Luffy in the stomach with his right index finger, causing him to cough up blood!

"GAH!" Luffy cried as he pulled away, but then he imbued his fists with Armaments' Haki. "Gum-Gum…JET GATLING!"

"SORU!" Auguste shouted before he disappeared, just as Luffy sent a flurry of rapid-fire punches at him.

"Where'd you go…?!" Luffy questioned, looking around, but then his eyes went wide as he turned around just in time to block a Haki-imbued punch from the Vice-Admiral!

"What the-?!" Auguste questioned.

"NICE TRY!" Luffy shouted before he slammed his fist into Auguste's stomach!

"GUH!" Auguste cried as he slid across the snowy ground and hitting up hitting one of the trees Luffy used to block off the Marines from going after Aika. "Damn you, Straw Hat!"

Luffy jerked his head, left and right, causing his neck to pop.

"RANKYAKU!" Auguste roared as he sent another air blade from his leg. Luffy disappeared, dodging the attack, before he reappeared behind Auguste.

"Gum-Gum…JET BAZOOKA!" Luffy shouted before he punched Auguste in the back with both fists!

"AAAUGH!" Auguste cried, coughing up blood. He growled as he fell down to one knee, then turned to Luffy, who gave a confident smirk.

"That all you got?" Luffy asked.

"Oh…I'll show you!" Auguste shouted as he lunged at Luffy again with a battle cry, and Luffy did the same. They began to exchange blows that either hit one another or got blocked.

"Why couldn't you just mind your own damn business?!" questioned Auguste. "This has nothing to do with you!"

"The moment you tried to mess with Aika," Luffy began, "IT BECAME MY BUSINESS!"

XXX

Meanwhile, Aika and Kumi continued to run through the forest, hoping to find the rest of the crew, soon. However, the former suddenly stopped running, much to Kumi's surprise.

"_Aika, what are you doing?"_ Kumi asked. _"C'mon! We gotta go find the others!"_

"…Kumi…you go on ahead!" Aika said.

"_What?!"_ Kumi questioned in shock.

"I have to go back and help Luffy!" Aika argued.

"_No, Aika! He's got this!"_ Kumi shouted. _"You saw how strong he is back on Punk Hazard!"_

"He wasn't hurt, back then!" Aika countered. "Now is different! What if he gets worse?!"

"_Aika, you worry too much,"_ Kumi said. _"I'm sure he'll be fine!"_

"I can't take that risk!" Aika said. "I'm going back for him and you can't stop me!"

With that, she turned and ran back the way she came.

"_No! Aika, stop!"_ Kumi cried as she followed her. _"COME BACK!"_

XXX

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAARRGH!" Luffy roared as he sent a stretching punch toward Auguste, who held up his Haki imbued arms, thus blocking his attack.

"SHIGAN!" Auguste shouted as he stabbed Luffy in the gut, two more times. Luffy grunted in pain before he socked Auguste in the jaw. However, Auguste only retaliated by grabbing Luffy and throwing him into the rock wall. Since his back ended up hitting it first, it only caused the arrows to sink deeper into his flesh, causing Luffy to scream even more.

"And now…RANKYAKU!" Auguste roared before he sent another air blade at Luffy, who tried to dodge the attack, but in the end, he ended up getting his left side cut!

"AGH!" he cried as he fell to the snow, bleeding and panting heavily. As he tried to stand up, Auguste walked over and kicked him in the face with a Haki imbued foot, sending him back down to the ground, again!

"Pathetic," Auguste hissed as he grabbed Luffy and picked him up by his hair, getting a good look at his face. His eyes had rolled into back of his skull, and his mouth gaped open from both shock and pain.

"You…bastard…!" Luffy groaned, weakly.

"Maybe it's time I put you out of your misery, Straw Hat," Auguste said as he raised his finger, preparing to finish Luffy off once and for all.

At that moment, Aika appeared and gasped in horror at the sight of Auguste preparing to kill Luffy while his men cheered him on.

"Go on, Vice-Admiral! Do it!"

"Kill him!"

"Send him to hell where he belongs!"

'_No…no…!'_ Aika thought. _'Stop it! Leave him alone!'_

"Say goodbye…Straw Hat," Auguste said with a sinister chuckled.

"Leave…him…ALONE~!" Aika shouted at the top of her voice, and as she did…an aura seemed to burst forth from her. At first, it seemed like nothing happened…but then, several soldiers, about 10 to 15 of them, dropped down into the ground!

"W-what the-?!" cried a confused Marine. "What's going on?!"

"What happened?!" questioned another.

Luffy and Auguste were also surprised at what they had just seen, although the latter looked almost horrified.

"Aika…you can use Conqueror's Haki, too?!" Luffy questioned in shock.

"Conqueror's what-now?" Aika repeated.

"…I knew it," Auguste whispered before he dropped Luffy. "Men! Those of you who can still stand, arrest Straw Hat, right now! I'm going after the girl!"

"Yes, sir!" the Marines shouted as they began to move in and arrest Luffy, who struggled to stand.

"No! Stop!" Luffy cried. "Leave Aika alone! She's just a kid!"

"Oh, stop it," Auguste said. "It's over, Straw Hat. You lost, and the girl is coming with us!"

Aika gasped, realizing she was about to be caught before she turned to run, but she didn't get very far, for Auguste grabbed her by the scruff of her neck before she could get so much as a foot away.

"No!" Aika cried. "Put me down!"

At that moment, Kumi appeared as well, only to gasp in horror.

'_Oh, no!'_ she thought. _'I'm too late!'_

"All right, my dear," Auguste said. "What do you say we take a little trip to Marine Headquarters, shall we?"

"No!" Aika shouted. "Let me go! I don't wanna go!"

"Who said you had a choice?" Auguste asked. "Your fate was sealed the moment you were born, you scourge! And now…you will pay the ultimate price."

"Wait a minute!"

Auguste said as he looked to Luffy, who is being held back by the Marine soldiers, one of which is preparing to put a pair of sea stone handcuffs on him.

"Oh, what do you want, now, boy?" Auguste asked, clearly irritated by Luffy's persistence.

"…Why?" Luffy asked.

"'Why'?" Auguste repeated. "'Why', what?"

"You know what I mean!" Luffy spat. "Why are you guys are after Aika so damn badly?! She's just a little girl! She hasn't done anything wrong!"

A pause…but then, Auguste began to chuckle, then he started to laugh loudly.

"Hasn't done anything wrong?!" he repeated. "Oh, Straw Hat…this girl has committed the most heinous crime possible: simply living."

"What?!" Luffy questioned. "What kinda bullshit is that?!"

"How do I explain this?" Auguste asked. "Well, you see, Straw Hat…Aika is no ordinary little girl: she is a future menace to the world. She has the blood of a…certain criminal running through her veins."

Luffy gasped at this, and even Aika sounded surprised at this.

"Imagine our shock when Cipher Pol delivered the news!" Auguste exclaimed. "That's why we went down there to make sure she would not be allowed to live. When we destroyed her home with the Buster Call, we thought that was the end of her…so imagine our surprise when we heard she was still alive!"

"Well…if you knew, why do you need her alive?!" Luffy questioned.

"Simple," Auguste replied. "We're taking her to Marine HQ alive…so that Fleet Admiral Sakazuki will _personally_ execute this brat."

"A…Akainu…?!" Luffy whispered, his voice mixed with horror and anger.

"Now…I can only imagine how he'll get the job done," Auguste wondered. "Hmm…maybe he'll lop her sweet little head off…or maybe he'll slowly drown her to death…or…oh, I know! He could just end her by burning her guts to ash!" He then turned to Luffy with a cruel, toothy grin.

"…Just like he did to that worthless brother of yours, 2 years ago."

Hearing that…caused Luffy to snap.

With a guttural roar of fury, Luffy stood up, pushing back all the Marines that tried to apprehend, much to Auguste's shock!

"W…what the…?!" Auguste questioned, and in his stunned state, he let go of Aika, who quickly ran for cover with Kumi!

Luffy seethed angrily at Auguste, who began to back away, suddenly overwhelmed with terror.

"Ace was NOT worthless!" Luffy shouted. "And if you think I'm gonna stand by and let that asshole Akainu kill Aika like he did to my brother, THEN YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER THING COMING~!"

**WROING! FWOOSH!** Luffy stretched his arm way back, and then set it ablaze!

"NOW GUM GUUUUUUUUM…RED HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWK!"

**BOOM!** Luffy's fist collided with Auguste's torso, creating a huge, exploding punch that sent him crashing into the cliff-face behind him! Auguste cried out in pain before he fell to the ground…finally defeated.

The Marine soldiers stared in absolute horror…but then, Luffy turned look at them, frightening them even more. If looks could kill, they'd all be ten feet beneath the ground, by now.

"If I were you Marine dogs," Luffy hissed, venomously, "I wouldn't breathe A WORD of what you saw here…got it?!"

A pause…but then, the Marines all screamed before they climbed over the trees that blocked their way and made a desperate run for their lives! Aika and Kumi came out of hiding at that moment and, upon seeing what Luffy had done, broke out into cheers.

"Yeah! You did it, Luffy!" Aika cheered.

"_Way to go, Luffy! WHOO-HOO!"_ Kumi added, barking happily.

Luffy smiled at them, panting heavily…but then…he groaned as he collapsed into the snow, his blood beginning to pool around him, much to Aika and Kumi's horror.

"_AAAH!"_ Kumi yelped.

"LUFFY, NO!" Aika cried as she and the Akita ran to his side. "Luffy, are you okay?!"

Luffy opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was an exhausted sigh before he slipped into unconsciousness once more.

"No, no, no, no!" Aika cried as she and Kumi nudged Luffy from both sides, trying to get him to his feet, but they were not strong enough.

"_C'mon, Luffy!"_ Kumi urged. _"You have to get up!"_

"Please, Luffy!" Aika begged. "Please, you gotta get up!"

As the two continued to try and get Luffy up…Aika sniffled and whimpered as tears began to form in her eyes.

"Please get up, Luffy…!" Aika whispered. "Please…! I…I never had a friend like you, before. In fact…I feel like you're not just my friend, anymore…it's almost you're my big brother or something!"

She began to sob quietly as she curled up beside Luffy, despite sitting in a pool of his blood.

"…I don't know what I'd do without you…!" Aika hiccupped.

"_Oh, c'mon, Aika,"_ Kumi begged as tears began to well up in her eyes as well. _"You're…you're gonna make me start crying, too!"_

But then…just when all hope seemed lost…

"Luffy~!"

Aika and Kumi both gasped upon hearing a familiar voice in the distance.

"_Isn't that…Nami?!"_ Kumi asked.

"Yeah, it is!" Aika replied.

"Hey, Luffy~!"

"Aika~! Where are you~?!"

"Kumi! Here, girl!"

"Hellooooo! Can anyone hear us?!"

"And that sounds like Zoro, Usopp, Miss Robin, and Brook!" Aika exclaimed.

"Yo, Luffy! Give us a sign or something! Where are ya?!"

"Aika! Answer us!"

"Kumi?! Are you there?!"

"_Franky, Sanji, and Chopper, too!"_ Kumi added.

"Hey! Straw Hat-_ya_! Where are you?!"

_**ARRROOOOOOOOOOO~!**_ Two howls followed after Law's voice.

"_Sounds like everyone's looking for us,"_ Kumi said. _"Aika! You go and get their attention! I'll stay with Luffy!"_

Aika nodded before she ran off, squeezing between the two fallen trees and run towards a hill. Down below, she saw the rest of the Straw Hats, plus Law and Jupiter, looking around.

"Any sign of them, yet?!" Nami questioned.

"No!" Zoro replied. "I tried calling his Mini Transponder Snail, but Luffy won't pick up!"

"What are we gonna do?!" Usopp questioned. "The Marines will catch all of them if we don't find them soon!"

_**AWWOOOOOOOOOOOOO~!**_ Everyone gasped before they looked up and saw Aika, howling loudly with her head pointed to the sky.

"Aika!" Nami exclaimed happily.

Aika panted as she slid down the hill and jumped into Nami's arms.

"Oh, Aika," Nami said, hugging the little wolf-girl like she was her lifeline. "Are you okay, sweetie?!"

"Yeah…I-I'm fine, but-" Aika said.

"_Hey, wait a minute,"_ Blizzard said. _"If you're here, then where are Luffy and Kumi?!"_

"That's what I'm trying to tell you!" Aika said. "Kumi's back with Luffy, and…Luffy really needs help! He's bleeding to death!"

"He's WHAT?!" Nami questioned.

"Where is he, Aika?!" Chopper asked. "Take us to him!"

Aika nodded before she ran in the direction she came with the Straw Hats tailing behind. Soon, they arrived at Luffy's location, and they all gasped in horror at the sight of their captain, looking like a bloody human pincushion.

"LUFFY!" Usopp and Chopper cried as they ran to him, the latter changing into his Heavy Point form as they did.

"What the hell happened to him?!" Zoro questioned.

"Well…he got beat up a little," Aika began, "but then the Marine man told him why he was after me, and then called his brother worthless! Then Luffy got really mad and his arm went on fire, and then he punched him! Then he scared all the Marines away, and after that, he collapsed!"

"_It would've been cool if he wasn't bleeding to death right now!"_ Kumi added.

"_Don't worry,"_ Blizzard reassured as Usopp and Chopper gently placed Luffy on his back. _"We'll make sure he's taken care of."_

"Let's hurry!" Sanji ordered. "There's no time to waste!"

"But be careful!" Nami added. "We don't wanna drop him on the way!"

With that, the Straw Hats headed back to the ship. However…Law and Jupiter remained behind, standing over the defeated Auguste.

"…You bastard," Law hissed. "You've caused poor little Aika so much trouble. Well…I'm gonna make sure you never tell a soul about her."

With that, Law held up his hand, creating his Room…and then slowly drew his sword.

XXX

Later that day, 2 of Auguste's men returned to the island to get him back.

"What are we gonna tell the Fleet Admiral?" asked one.

"How should I know?!" asked his partner. "I'm still thinking we shouldn't tell him at all! What if Straw Hat tries to hunt us down and snap our necks like twigs?!"

"Well…I guess it's better than getting our heads melted off by magma. Getting our necks snapped sounds like a faster way to go than slowly melting to death!"

"…Jeez…when you put it that way, you make it sound like you want Straw Hat to kill you."

Suddenly, the two Marines spotted a motionless form in the snow.

"There he is!"

"Vice-Admiral Auguste, sir!"

The two ran towards him, one of them putting two fingers to his wrist.

"Is he…?"

"Yeah…I'm surprised he hasn't gotten hypothermia, yet. Vice-Admiral…are you all right?!"

A pause…but then Auguste groaned as he sat up and held his head.

"Ugh…what happened?" he asked.

"You mean you don't remember?" asked the Marine who checked his pulse. "Sir, you were fighting with Straw Hat Luffy! He punched with a flaming fist and then you passed out! You're lucky he didn't kill you!"

"Wait…Straw Hat Luffy?" Auguste asked. "Who the devil is Straw Hat Luffy? In fact…who are you two?"

Hearing this caused the two soldiers to gasp in surprise.

"Vice-Admiral Auguste…are you feeling all right, sir?!"

"Auguste? Who is this 'Auguste' person?"

"Why…you are, sir!"

"Me? Are you sure?"

The 2 Marines appeared to be even more confused by the second…but then…they found something rather disturbing.

There was…a small, square-shaped hole in Auguste's head.

XXX

Meanwhile, the Straw Hats have sailed far away from the island and are continuing on to Dressrosa.

Luffy is sitting on the stairs leading to the ship's helm, his stomach, chest, back,, and his arms wrapped up in bandages. He got out of surgery about 3 hours ago. The arrows in his back were so deep, Chopper couldn't remove them himself without causing even more hemorrhaging. Thus, Law had to use his Devil Fruit powers to do the job himself.

Now, Luffy is just trying to recover. His body had gone from an agonizing pain to a dull but annoying ache. What didn't help is the fact that he was hungry as a hippo: as if his growling stomach wasn't proof enough.

"Ugh…I'm _starving_," Luffy groaned, giving his abdominal area a tender rub.

"Sounds like you could use a little pick-me-up."

Luffy turned and saw Nami, holding a plate of food such as meat, rice balls, sandwiches, and even a couple of tangerines.

"Thanks, Nami!" Luffy said as he gratefully took the plate and began to eat to his heart's content.

"How are you feeling?" Nami asked.

"I'm still kinda sore," Luffy answered, "but I'll be okay. What about Aika?"

"Well, all she got was a little scratch on her cheek," Nami replied. "Nothing serious."

Luffy sighed and looked away, his brow furrowed…almost like he was angry at himself.

"Dammit, this is all my fault," he cursed.

"Luffy, what's the big deal?" Nami asked. "There's nothing to worry about. Aika just had a little scratch. Plus, she's safe because of you. The Marines didn't get her."

"That's not the point, Nami!" Luffy said. "I was responsible for her, and she got hurt on _my watch!_ Don't you get it?! I should've been more careful, but instead, I just…ugh!"

"…She's really grown on you, huh?" Nami asked.

"Yeah," Luffy said. "I mean…this is kinda like the time we spent with Mel, searching for that flower she wanted…but…it feels like it's even more than that. It's almost like…Aika filled up this void in my heart…the one that was left when Ace died. I guess…it's almost like she's my little sister or something." He then chuckled. "Could you imagine that?"

"…Yeah," Nami said, chuckling as well, though only halfheartedly.

'…_Maybe,'_ she thought, _'I was wrong. Maybe…he deserves to know, after all.'_

She then looked at Luffy, who just finished off a large leg of meat.

"Umm…Luffy?" Nami asked. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, Nami," Luffy answered, peeling a tangerine. "You know you can ask me anything."

"Well…it's a bit of a hypothetical question," Nami answered.

"Okay," Luffy said as he put a slice of the fruit in his mouth. "So what is it?"

"Uh…well," Nami muttered, "what if…someone told you that…you had a little sister?"

Luffy sat there, looking rather surprised.

"What if?" he repeated, and Nami nodded in reply. "Huh. That's…a pretty deep question. Well…I'd be surprised, first of all."

"That's understandable," Nami said.

"But…at the same time, I'd be happy," Luffy added.

"Wait…really?" Nami asked, surprised.

"Sure!" Luffy replied. "I mean…I think it'd be great to be a big brother for a change! If I had a little sister, I'd teach her everything I know and I could have lots of fun with her, like Ace and I! Plus…it'd be nice to know that I still have family out there. Now…it's just me and my Grandpa…and my Dad, too, even though I've never met him."

"…I see," Nami said with a warm smile. "…Luffy? Can I ask you another question?"

"Go ahead," Luffy answered. "Shoot."

"…Well," Nami began, "what if turned out that…that little sister…is Aika?"

A pause…but then, Luffy's cheeks inflated as he snickered.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" he laughed. "Good one, Nami! 'Let's all make fun of Luffy since he's so dumb', right?! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh, what a riot!"

Nami just looked at Luffy, who realized she was not laughing along with him.

"Uh…you're not laughing," Luffy said, feeling a bit embarrassed about laughing by himself. "Why aren't you laughing?"

Nami just kept looking at him with a sheepish smile on her face…and that's when realization hit Luffy again, and his smile fell as a look of shock appeared in his eyes.

"You mean…Aika…is my…?!" he muttered.

"Well, technically," Nami began, "Aika's your _half_-sister. You both have the same dad, it's just that she has a different mother. Does that make sense to you, at all, or do I have to dumb it down for you, a little?"

Luffy just kept staring at Nami, who blinked in confusion.

"Luffy?" Nami asked. "Hello? Did you get any of that?"

Another pause…but then, Luffy let out a long, heavy sigh before he outright fainted! Nami gasped, covering her mouth in shock.

"Uh…guys!" the navigator called. "You might wanna get over here!"

XXX

After Sanji woke him back up with a slice of smoked ham, Luffy is now sitting with the rest of his crew, who told him everything.

"You mean…you guys knew Aika was related to me the whole time?" Luffy asked.

"Law was the one who figured it out when he took a blood sample from both of you," Robin answered. "Your DNA matched with hers."

"We were really thrilled when we found out and we wanted so badly to tell you," Chopper said.

"But…it was Nami's idea to keep it a secret from you," Usopp said.

"Nami…why?" Luffy asked, looking at Nami with an almost hurt expression. "I thought we weren't gonna keep any secrets between us?"

"I know, Luffy," Nami said, remorsefully. "Believe me…I feel terrible for keeping it a secret from you, but…I had 2 good reasons."

"And just what were they?" Luffy asked, his expression turning serious.

"Well…first of all," Nami began, "Aika just joined up with us, and she hadn't even gotten to know us, yet! If we told her back then…we were afraid she'd think we were lying to her…and as for the other reason…I did it for you, Luffy."

"For me?" Luffy repeated.

"Nami was afraid that…Ace's death had changed you," Robin said. "She thought that if you ever found out about Aika…you'd reject her to protect yourself from getting hurt like that, again."

Luffy gasped silently before he looked at Nami, who, by this time, had tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

"When I saw your face, 2 years ago in the newspaper," Nami said, "I…I never saw you look so…so broken before! The way your face looked when Ace's body was lying there at your knees…it was just horrible! That's why I didn't tell you about Aika! I was afraid that something to her, and you knew…your heart wouldn't be able to handle that pain, again!"

With that being said, Nami began to cry while Blizzard nuzzled her gently. Luffy stared at his beloved navigator…before he sighed.

"Nami…that's the most ridiculous I've EVER heard you say," he said.

"Hey, you dumb-ass!" Sanji barked. "Don't talk to Nami like that! Can't you see Nami was just trying to protect you from getting hurt?! How, in any way, is that ridiculous?!"

"It's ridiculous because she's smarter than that!" Luffy argued. "Look…it's true. What happened to Ace did change me."

He placed his hand on the scar on his chest for emphasis.

"This scar I have…will always be there to remind me of my pain," he said, "but why do you think I spent those 2 years getting stronger?"

Everyone was quiet.

"What happened 2 years ago won't happen again," Luffy began with a determined expression, "because as Aika's captain…no…as her brother, I will protect her with my life…just like Ace did for me!"

Nami smiled before she embraced Luffy, who happily returned it.

"…I'm sorry for doubting you," she whispered. "I should've realized you were stronger than that."

"Shishishishi!" Luffy laughed.

"…I think it's time someone else knew, too," Usopp said with a grin. "Don't you think?"

XXX

Aika sat in the sick bay, now in her human form, a bandage on her cheek and her body fully clothed, with Kumi at her side.

"_Well, Luffy's gonna be okay, it looks like,"_ Kumi said.

"That was really scary, what happened today," Aika said. "I'm just glad it's all over."

"_How do you know?"_ Kumi asked.

"Traffy told me he did something with that Marine guy's brain," Aika said. "That way, he won't remember me, at all, and he'll leave me alone."

"_Huh…well, that's kinda freaky,"_ Kumi said before she smiled. _"Still, all's well that ends well, right?"_

"Right!" Aika grinned. "Shishishi!"

"Oh, Aika~!"

Aika looked up to see Nami enter the room.

"Hi, Big Sis Nami!" Aika greeted.

"I got a surprise for you, Aika," Nami said. "You have…a big brother!"

Aika and Kumi both gasped.

"_No…way,"_ Kumi muttered.

"I do…?" Aika asked, the corners of her mouth forming an excited smile. "Really?!"

"Mm-hmm," Nami nodded.

"Wow! I don't believe it!" Aika said. "I've got a Big Brother! Where is he?! I wanna see him! I wanna see him, right now!"

Nami laughed at this as she took Aika's hand and led her out of the sick bay.

"Close your eyes and don't peek, okay?" Nami asked.

Aika giggled and complied with Nami's demands. She even kept her eyes covered using her free hand.

Soon, they were outside, where everyone stood around, waiting.

"Okay, Aika," Nami said. "You can open your eyes now!"

Aika opened her eyes…but all she saw was that Straw Hats, much to her confusion.

"W…where is he?" Aika asked. "Where's my Big Brother, Big Sis Nami?"

Nami smiled…before she pointed to Luffy, who smiled at Aika warmly. It didn't take very long for Aika to realize what was going on.

"Luffy…is my Big Brother…?!" she whispered.

"That's right, Aika," Luffy answered. "Now are you just gonna stand there or are you gonna give your Big Bro a hug?"

A pause…but then, Aika bit her quivering lip as big, fat tears began to well up in her eyes. She whimpered for a moment…before she finally let out a loud sob and ran to Luffy, who crouched down with open arms. Aika jumped on him, wrapping her arms around Luffy's neck as he stood up, holding her tightly and not letting go for anything.

"I…I'm so happy…!" Aika whispered with a smile on her face.

"Me, too, Aika…!" Luffy sobbed as tears fell from his eyes. "Me, too!"

Nami sniffled and wiped her eyes as she watched the two newly formed siblings embrace, and she wasn't the only one. The rest of the Straw Hats were crying just as joyfully as they were. Even Zoro and Sanji are crying, surprisingly, as well as Kin'emon and Momonosuke.

"How touching…!" Momonosuke sniffled.

"Indeed, my son…indeed!" Kin'emon agreed, sobbing.

Jupiter looked at Law…who is looking away, chewing his lip.

"_Law…are you crying?"_ Jupiter asked.

"Oh, shut up!" Law shouted. "I've got something in my eyes, that's all!"

"_Right,"_ Jupiter answered.

Even more surprising is the fact that even Caesar, who is locked in a sea stone cage, seemed to be sniffling as well…until it is revealed that a bowl of onions had been left by him.

"What the-?!" Caesar questioned.

Luffy smiled as he kept hugging Aika happily.

"I love you, Aika," he said. "From now on…you're my Little Sister for as long as you live!"

"Thank you," Aika said. "I love you, too…Big Brother…!"

As soon as everyone was doing crying, Usopp spoke up.

"Hey! You guys know what this means, right?!" Usopp asked.

"Aw, yeah!" Luffy said.

"PARTY TIME~!" the Straw Hats cheered.

"…Oh, good grief," Law muttered.

And so, the festivities began! Luffy and Aika both ate as much as possible. Of course, the latter was more polite than her older half-brother. Nami, Zoro, and Kin'emon had a drinking contest and, unsurprisingly, the navigator out-drank the both of them.

"More booze, please!" Nami shouted in a slurred voice, holding up her 25th mug.

"She's not human…!" Kin'emon groaned, stopping only after he had 6 mugs.

"That's what I say," Zoro replied, holding his aching head after drinking 17 mugs.

Robin just chuckled.

Blizzard, Chopper, and Usopp are seen doing the chopsticks-in-your-nose dance while Momonosuke and Kumi watched, howling with laughter. Franky struck his usual poses while yelling out "SUPER" while Brook played a jaunty tune on his piano.

Law and Jupiter mostly kept to themselves.

As the party went on, Aika went over to Brook and whispered something to him, even though he did not have ears. The skeleton seemed to nod before he began to play a slow, almost sad-sounding tune, gaining everyone's attention. Then…Aika began to sing.

"_**The snow glows white on the mountain tonight,**_

_**Not a footprint to be seen.**_

_**A kingdom of isolation,**_

_**And it looks like I'm the queen.**_

_**The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside~!**_

_**Couldn't keep it in, heaven knows I've tried~**_

_**Don't let them in, don't let them see,**_

_**Be the scared girl you always had to be!**_

_**Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know~!**_

_**Well, now they know~!**_

_**Let it go! Let it go!**_

_**Can't hold it back anymore!**_

_**Let it go! Let it go!**_

_**Turn away and slam the door~!**_

_**I don't care what they're going to say!**_

_**Let the storm rage on~!**_

_**Nothing's gonna scare me anymore."**_

Then, Brook began to play the tune a bit more upbeat while Aika danced.

"_**It's funny how some distance**_

_**Makes everything seem small~!**_

_**And the fears that once controlled me**_

_**Can't get to me, at all~!**_

_**It's time to see what I can do,**_

_**To test the limits and break through!**_

_**No right, no wrong, no rules for me~!**_

_**I'm free~!**_

_**Let it go! Let it go~!**_

_**I am one with the sea and sky~!**_

_**Let it go! Let it go~!**_

_**You'll never see me cry~!**_

_**Here I stand and here I'll stay~!**_

_**Let the storm rage on…"**_

Then, Brook began to play faster, and Aika danced in time with the rhythm.

"_**My power flurries through the air into the ground~!**_

_**My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals, all around~!**_

_**And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast~!**_

_**I'm never going back! The past is in the past~!"**_

As she sang, Luffy tossed Aika his straw hat, which landed on her head.

"_**Let it go! Let it go~!**_

_**And I'll rise like the break of dawn~!**_

_**Let it go! Let it go~!**_

_**That scarred little girl is gone~!"**_

Then, Luffy picked her up and held her on his shoulders as he and the Straw Hats walked to the helm of the _Sunny_ like they were in a parade, watching the sun set beyond the sea.

"_**Here I stand in the light of the day~!**_

_**Let the storm rage on~!**_

_**Nothing's gonna scare me anymore."**_

As soon as the song was over, everyone applauded Aika for her wonderful singing.

"Welcome to the family, Aika!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Shishishishi!" Aika laughed.

XXX

Later that night, Aika is seen sleeping in her new bedroom with Kumi, which actually used to be an old storage room by the kitchen. Franky had been working on it since the day after they left Punk Hazard. This especially made Luffy and Nami happy, for now, they had their room to themselves again, which meant they could finally go back to "having their fun". They just had to be careful but when they did it and how loud they were being.

As Aika slept…Luffy entered the room and sat down at the end of her bed. Aika smiled in her sleep, as if she knew he was there, and did not stir when he reached down and began to gently stroke her hair.

"Look at you," Luffy whispered. "I can tell…you've been through so much. You lose your mom…your entire home…you spent a year imprisoned on some other island with a bunch of other kids that wouldn't even take the time to make friends with you. You must've felt so alone…like you had no one in the world to turn to."

Aika continued to sleep as Luffy kept petting her.

"I know how you feel," Luffy said. "I was like you, once…three times, actually. First my Mom…then Sabo…and finally, Ace."

Suddenly, he sniffled and chewed his lip as he screwed his eyes shut in a futile attempt to keep his tears from falling.

"…If only…if only your other brothers got to meet you…!" he whispered. "Ace…Sabo…I'm sure they both would've loved you."

He then sighed as he wiped his tears away.

"…Why did they have to die?" he asked. "Why did they leave me alone? Sometimes…I wish it was me that died instead of them."

He then smiled.

"But I guess that would be pretty selfish of me, huh?" he asked. "After all…at least I have my crew…and even more so…I've got you, now, Aika. I swear…I won't let anything happen to you. I'll be a great big brother, you'll see…and I promise…I won't die and leave you alone."

Aika smiled in her sleep even more at this, then Luffy kissed her cheek before he got up and left the room. As he did…he felt a chilling wind blow. He shivered for a moment and hugged his arms for warmth…but then, as he turned around, he gasped silently upon seeing…

"Ace…?"

Ace stood in the hallway, smiling at Luffy before he seemed to mouth a few words…and then he faded away. Luffy seemed surprise at this, but then he smiled, because he knew exactly what the spirit of his brother said.

"_Take care of our sister, Luffy."_

"…I will, Ace," Luffy said. "I promise."

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

Wow! I knew the last chapter would be the longest, JUST NOT THIS LONG!

Thanks to gamePyscho11 for suggesting that Aika sing "Let It Go" from Frozen.

Now that this is over, I plan on doing the Caesar Retrieval Arc next, but now I MUST take a well-deserved break.

Review, please!


	11. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

* * *

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard, Monkey D. Aika, Kumi, and Jupiter © Me

* * *

Nighttime on the _Thousand Sunny_. Everyone is getting ready for a good night's rest. Well…almost everyone.

"So, wait, what are we doing?"

"Well, I know Nami and the others said that you're my sister…but I think just saying it's not good enough."

Aika sat at the kitchen table with Luffy, who is squeezing some chocolate syrup into two glasses of milk, and then mixed them up with a spoon.

"When we were kids," Luffy began, "Ace and I drank from sake cups together and became brothers."

"Oh," Aika said. "Then…why are you making chocolate milk?"

"Because you're six years old," Luffy said. "I wouldn't be a very good big brother if I let you drink booze. That, and Nami would kill me."

"Oh…I see," Aika said.

With that, Luffy handed Aika her glass while he held up his own.

"From now on," he said, "you're my little sister and I'm your big brother!"

Aika grinned as she and Luffy tapped their glasses and drank their chocolate milk, letting out refreshed sighs once they were done.

**URP!** Aika let out a short burp before she covered her mouth.

"Excuse me," she said.

Luffy just laughed and gently pet Aika's hair, causing her to giggle.

Nami, who is standing outside the door, smiled at the two half-siblings bonding. Ever since the night before, Luffy and Aika having been doing nothing but doting on each other, be it playing or one following the other. She half-expected them to take a little more time in getting to know each other before they bonded so soon, not that she was complaining.

Of course, the crew still had to be careful when it came to the Marines. Just because Auguste had stopped menacing the little wolf-girl didn't mean that the nightmare was completely over. There was still a chance that other Marines would see her and attempt to report to Fleet Admiral Sakazuki. However, the Straw Hats weren't too worried.

After all, with Luffy for a big brother, you're bound to be safe, no matter what happens.

"Okay, sis," Luffy said as he picked Aika up. "Time for bed."

Aika yawned as she rested her head against Luffy's chest, her tiny hands clutching the back of Luffy's shirt as he cradled her in his strong but gentle arms. He carried her below deck and to her bedroom, where Kumi and Blizzard are seen, lying curled up on the floor, and then gently laid her on the bed.

"Goodnight, Big Brother," Aika whispered. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Aika," Luffy said as he tucked Aika under the covers and kissed her cheek. "Goodnight."

With that, he turned off the light and left the room. Then, he headed back outside and went to his and Nami's room, next. There…he found Nami, sitting on the bed, wearing her pink "HEAT" T-shirt.

"Hey, Nami," Luffy greeted as he closed the door. "Aika's asleep now."

"I suppose she is," Nami said, looking at Luffy with bedroom eyes.

"So…how about we turn up the 'heat', a little?" Luffy asked, looking at Nami's shirt.

"I thought you'd never ask," Nami said.

(A/N: I'm not really gonna do any lemon here, but it's implied. To gamePsycho11, sorry.)

However, while Luffy and Nami are enjoying themselves, Law seemed to be a bit out of sorts. Why?

It had been more than 12 days since Law called Doflamingo…and he had yet to see an article in the newspaper about the Warlord resigning. In fact…he hadn't really seen any newspapers at all, lately. He didn't look like it, but Law was beside him with frustration.

'_Something's very wrong,'_ Law thought. _'Doesn't he want Caesar back? And why is the newspaper taking so damn long?!'_

He sighed as he gripped the railing.

'…_He's planning something,'_ Law thought. _'The question is…what?'_

XXX

(A/N: WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT CAUGHT UP WITH THE MANGA!)

Meanwhile, on an island somewhere far away…two shadowy figures are seen, sitting on the coast, watching the sea. One is seen holding a newspaper in his hands.

"…Are you feeling okay?" one of the figures asked, obviously feminine.

"Yeah…I should be okay," the other answered. His voice was a bit deeper and more masculine than the other. "It's just…I was reading something interesting in the news."

He held up the newspaper, which had Luffy's and Law's faces on the front page.

"…Funny thing about the News Coos going on strike, huh?" the female figure asked. "Now the newspaper's running late because of it."

"Yeah," her friend answered. "This whole thing with Doflamingo quitting the Warlords…it happened about 6 days ago, right?"

"Yeah…and it's hard to believe Straw Hat's in an alliance with someone. According to what you said…he's not really the type to follow anyone else's orders."

"…That's Luffy for ya…full of surprises."

The male figure sighed.

"…What's wrong, now?"

"I'm sorry. I don't mind to bring you down, it's just…I can't help but think about him."

"…I understand. After all, he's your little brother, right?"

"Yeah…he is…Ace…Aika…I've already lost them. I was too late…to help either of them."

The female figure reached over and put a hand on his shoulder.

"However…it doesn't mean I can't be there for Luffy, either," he said before he stood up…and turned to three gravestones: one belonging to Edward "Whitebeard" Newgate, the second belonging to his dog, Stefan, and the third…belonging to Portgas D. Ace.

In front of Ace's grave, there is a crate with a newspaper article about Luffy's return to the Sabaody Archipelago with his crew, as well as cups of sake.

"…Watch over me…Ace."

With that, the two shadowy figures left.

XXX

Not too far away from the Straw Hats' location…a shadowy figure is seen, sitting on the head of a strange creature. However, his intentions did not appear to be good, for he let out a sinister chuckle.

"Soon," he whispered, "the scientist, Caesar Clown, will be mine!"

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

I just HAD to do an epilogue.

Okay, so maybe starting next week, I'll do Caesar's Retrieval.

Review, please!


End file.
